Keep Them Guessing
by druidgoddess
Summary: BUSTED! Can the new Society deal with the leakage of their secret? After all, it was Danny's fault...now if only they could Anderson back on track, boy seems to be off in his own little world lately...Charlotte 'Charlie' Dalton narrates.
1. Fires and Intros

And I thought I was NEVER going to do DPS again. I thought wrong. I wrote this for god-knows-what reason. And because I'm strange, really, really strange. You know??? If you don't then, um, I don't know. Guess you're on your own with that one.

"I make your fire

I create what all desire!

Hear me speak

I make your mind weak

You'd better know what I say

I could take you any day

Know now that I'm not jesting

My whole point is to keep them guessing!" I threw my arms up and spun to the melody that I was creating. The small fire made the shadows leap along with me. I kept my rhymes going for a few more stanzas before some one else jumped in.

"Then to you I hark

From whence you leave thy mark

No mind so easily possessed

All have come, all have guessed

Tell us, maiden fair

Why must the hearts of many so despair?"

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You thought I was going to tell the end of the story as the beginning, didn't you? Pity, I'll do no such thing. No, I think that the acceptance letter is the right place to start. Yes, you did hear right, acceptance letter to a boarding school. It was my bane; the end of my free life! What crime had I committed to be put forth for such torture? It made my writhe with rage and my father happy. Happy that he was sending me away to a school that had only recently designed this 'co-ed' program. All I knew was that there would be about a hundred more boys than girls, and that is no way to start one's junior year! Yes, I was a junior and only just changing schools. It was rotten, it was wrong, it was…

"A chance to get girl-deprived going-to-rich-when-they-finish-school boys!" my best friend Kelly announced. "So stop moaning."

I could only tell my father over and over that there was no way on this earth I was going, period. So in an enormous attempt to stall my arrival on the very day I was supposed to be attending an opening ceremony, I locked myself in my room with my paints. By the time I had painted every spare inch of space, my father had jimmied the lock on my door and hauled me out to the car. I sat in sullen, sulky silence for the entire trip. My father's eyes kept glancing at my in the rearview mirror.

"Don't look so happy." He said.

"Why do I have to go to this place?!" I shot at him.

"It's a wonderful school, one of the best in the country. I went to it…for a time."

"Yeah, you got kicked out Mr. 'Phone-Call-From-God'."

"We all do things we later regret. By the way if you get expelled, I intend on making sure you're miserable for the rest of the time I'm your legal parent and guardian."

"Woo hoo."

It was a drab building with students and parents milling around the grounds. I took it we'd missed whatever. I made a careful count of every girl I saw. It totaled at about forty three. In comparison with the amount of boys, it wasn't much. My father ran off to get paper work and I was stuck sitting with my bags near a dorm. I was making patterns with my shoes in the dirt to keep myself entertained.

"Do you need help?" I looked up to see an overly neat appearing guy looking at me. Well, I was sitting there with a suitcase. But I was in a real cheery mood.

"What's it to you?" I snarled. And because his shoes looked to damn clean, I kicked dust onto them. He just glanced at them with an expression that told me it was taking much will power for him not hit me. God, some people and cleanliness.

"Touchy, glad the girls are separate." He ducked inside the dorm next to the one I was outside of. There was just something about him that made me want to hurl. My father came back up to at a run.

"Hurry up before some one else remembers me!" he said grabbing my stuff. Now, yes, I do know that I'm being an offal story teller, but I don't remember too much about that day besides being mad. But I do remember getting to the girls area and there being a slight problem called a gas leak. They were roped off. I was stunned. It was a four hour drive home and classes began the next day. So we were directed back to our original spot by an apologetic official and I was sent inside. I was boiling with fury, god dammit could anything more go wrong? Yeah, actually, I think more could go wrong, I thought as I was unpacking in my thankfully empty room. I was getting out my sketch books (I'm an artistic type of person) when the door creaked open and in shuffled Mr. Clean suitcase in tow. His back was to me so he didn't notice me until I said hello.

"What the hell?" it was a nice reaction, you know? "What are you doing in here?"

My own reaction was one of annoyance and displeasure. I had met but one person here and hadn't made the best impression, so, go figure that was the person I was stuck with as a roomie. Yup, things just kept getting better. I found out later that there were five girls in the building, including me. With two beds a room, four of them weren't having to share with the opposite sex. I was the exception. I made myself small in the corner as his friends, as I assumed, crowded in. Thank the heavens they didn't notice me until my father came in. Parents are oblivious to how much they embarrass their children. Daddy dearest not only called me 'angel' and 'Lottie' both of the pet names I hate, but gave me package wrapped in brown paper and a kiss on top of the head. He didn't notice the gawking boys until he was half way out the door.

Most fathers would have protested to such arrangements, but mine had seen me punch a senior football captain as a freshman, so he wasn't all that worried. He just sort of cocked his head and mumbled something about déjà vu. And then he was gone; and I was stuck. Suddenly all of them were looking at me. Oh boy, this was awkward. One of then finally broke the silence by dropping something. Then the atmosphere loosened up a bit and I was thankfully ignored until one of them asked my name. I looked up and they were all awaiting an answer with that goofy, yeah-I'm-so-tough-and-funny look all guys seem to be capable of.

I thrust my hand out to the one who'd asked with a defiant smile. "My name's Charlotte Dalton."

He took it with an irritating smile. "Nice to meet ya 'Lottie'."

I gave him the finger. "I generally prefer 'Charlie' or 'Charlotte', so don't make me make you regret using that name."

"Ooooo (envision laughter and 'ooing' in the background) Anderson's got a friend." Some of the others said with mirth. I doubt any of them had actually had dealings with girls that their parents didn't approve of first. The Anderson character was all, uh, I don't know, sort of insulted and impressed at the same time.

"Ain't 'Charlie' a guy's name?" he asked.

"Well, my dad's name is Charlie, and my parents thought it would be all fine and dandy to name me something similar. They called me 'Lottie' until I demanded to be called 'Charlie'. Now some one remind me why I'm speaking to you fools." I cast a condescending glare around the assembled persons. My roommate made a strange face, he sort of twitched his eyebrows up and bobbed his head. "Get out now." I asserted.

They didn't budge. Then I knew how to clear out the room of all of them. I reached for my suitcase with my, eh he he he, unmentionables. As soon as I pulled the first bra out, they were gone in a flash. I'm such a bad person. I hauled out my pencils, some paints, artist's gum, and a giant sketch pad. I maneuvered it beneath my bed and found my mirror. Setting it down I smiled wickedly at my reflection. People have said I look like my Dad if he was wearing a wig. I guess that's a good thing. I tousled my dark brown hair, making it look wild. I like it that way and loose, but tomorrow I would have to make it 'presentable'. People have also said I have my Dad's rebel personality, although I doubt that. I don't see me calling myself 'Nuwanda', do you?

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After a quiet dinner, I was setting up a divider from a sheet in my room. Mr. Clean was strutting in as I constructed it. He was in a sleepy stupor after, most likely, gorging himself on the awful food of the dinning hall. I couldn't find anything palatable about it and yet those who were seasoned students of the place downed in easily enough. I put the last tack in place and said, "Voila! My half, your half, Mr. …I don't believe I caught your name."

"It's Robert, god I hate it. And it's 'Rob' not 'Bob', 'Bobby', 'Robby', or 'Bert' Charlie-not-Lottie." He said pulling out pajamas out of a drawer. "I'm changing in the bathroom, I suggest you make use of my absence." And he swept out. I'm no fool, I was in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and ready to use the sink before he even got back. The great thing about community bathrooms is they have to be clean, the downside is that I was the only girl in there at the moment. One of the seniors got nerve enough to slap my rear. I had nerve enough for swift retribution; in short, the offender was slapped across his face. God damn hormonal boys. When I got back to my room, Rob was in his bed and nearly asleep. But it was the I learned how fast word travels in this place.

"Heard you hit Terry Gagnon." He yawned.

"I've done worse."

"How?"

"Hit Anthony di Angelo at my last school, he waked away with a broken nose, he was a football captain, I was a freshman."

Rob gave a snort of laughter. "Why did you do it?"

"He was trying to make out with my best friend Kelly, who was a sophomore then, and she didn't want to. I fixed the problem." I said simply.

"You're a weird one. Gonna have to watch my back aren't I?"

"Only if you miss behave." I told him as I slid between my covers to get some sleep and be braced for tomorrow.

Why, why, why must first chapters be SO hard? I dunno, maybe because everything I write is crap. I'm serious, I love writing, but I consistently write crap, crud, ect. You get the idea. I'm a strange person so my girl character has the same name as her Dad, aren't I getting cheesy? But I've heard of a Charlotte liking Charlie. Summer camp is good for a few things, like learning how to make stuff explode. I swear I was the only girl at rocketry with like thirty or so boys on a good day. I had two who would actually speak to me because they were in my mom's daycare and I had blackmail out to wazoo on them if they didn't. Hi Taylor and Alex! I still have that picture of you two hugging, Alex in his Yankees jersey, Taylor in his Red Sox one! The only time it can be witnessed, Yankees and Red Sox fans not fighting, but friends. Whoa, I'm rambling again. That's not a good sign. Believe me. hmm…I might post the New England Weather Scale on my hp. Oh god, I better shut up! C ya… - The Druidess -

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Oh, that's rich. Like you guys tell your parents off, Mr.Future Lawyer and Mr. Future Banker.


	2. Day One at Hellton

Hello! The crazy person is updating…wow. I was at the counselor's again, and it didn't go well, she thinks my craziness is due to a lack of self confidence. I hate it when people try to tell me what I'm thinking.

"Charlie, Charlie you have to get up. Breakfast is in twenty minutes. Come on, get up!" Rob was trying to get me out of bed as he got ready on the other side of the sheet. I was only feeling more tired as I hauled myself up out of the warm blankets I'd been wrapped in. I blinked in the feeble light of an early September dawn, my roommate was merely a talking silhouette on the other side of the sheet. I got my foot stuck in a blanket and was trying to pull it out. I gave a hard tug at it and sent myself straight through my barrier. Rob was very soon looking down on me as he buttoned his shirt.

"Breakfast is in twenty. We get schedules and what they call food." I blinked stupidly as he said this. "Hurry up!"

I scrambled to my feet and pulled open my drawers in a haphazard manner. Rob rolled his eyes and left the room. I suppose I should give him credit for being a gentleman about the arrangements. I found my most undesirable uniform. Whoever designed it made sure that whoever wore it would look fat with the blazer on and like they had huge hips if they took the blazer off. I was sure some one would find a way around that though, that's what boy-crazy girls are good at. I put my stubborn hair into a pony tail and told my stubborn attitude that I wouldn't hit anyone today.

Another girl staying in my area, Annette, helped find the dinning hall. The girls had their own table. All told, our numbers were a lousy fifty three and we were all of varying ages. I got what looked to be oatmeal or grits on my plate. I poked it tentatively with my spoon before tasting it. It was gross, if you're wondering. I was back to back with some of the people that I had seen the day before. They were whispering way too much, but then I could just be paranoid. I was given a schedule. It looked something like this:

Chemistry, French, Trigonometry, Fine Arts (This was a new course), History, English, Physical Education. The day began slowly with Chemistry. With the adding of girls, one of my classmates felt it necessary to make a 'chemistry' joke. There were only seventeen junior girls and six of them in that class. I wasn't amused to say the least. French earned a similar crack as we congregated the verb 'voir'. The language of love, my foot. Trig passed in a confusing haze. I wowed the new teacher of the Fine Arts course with my figure drawing abilities. History was so dully easy, I get an A in History every year without fail. English was outright dull. I've always viewed writing and poetry as some of the most beautiful forms of expression besides the visual arts. And although I'm partial to the visual arts, I have a soft spot for the written. The teacher, a Ms. Donelly, didn't appear to be very good at the subject, it was almost like she was scared of it. Her speech and vocabulary were impressive, she was obviously well read. But she didn't grasp and convey the meaning of the poems she had us read. That's just my opinion. PE was miserable running for the girls and rowing or soccer for the boys. 

I was jogging my heart out on the quarter mile as I watched others have fun. I hate to run is all. My sneakers slapped the track in a mind numbing fashion. Round and round I went until I could take no more and strode off the track. The coach wasn't all that pleased, but I had had enough. I snuck into the showers early. The rowing team was already in there as I walked past the boys block over to the girls. The girls block wasn't empty though. Annette and another girl called Gina were peeping over the barrier. I watched them and was tempted to laugh out loud at them. Gina had given Annette a boost so she could see, from what I could figure, they'd been taking turns. Annette had a dirty little grin on her face. I had to do something.

"HEY THERE! What are y'all doing?" I asked them very loudly. Annette jumped and shrieked. She caught the attention of the ones she was spying on, who in turned yelled indignantly. Gina was red as a Christmas light. I nearly fell over laughing. They skulked off to use the showers like they were supposed to. I pulled my uniform back on, but left my blazer off, as I was still warm. Ugh, my thighs looked huge in that skirt, it wasn't right! When I was coming out I was intercepted by Rob.

"Who were those girls?" he asked. His buddies stood in the background, looking too neutral for my taste. They all had their uniforms on in a messy fashion, it made them look like real people, not robots.

"Why?" I asked carefully.

"Danny wants to know, says the blonde was good looking." He shrugged. "They'd ask you, but they're afraid to."

"Annette Swanson and Gina Stein, and yeah right."

"Thank you, and I might have mentioned you getting a senior." He gave a wink, which mystified me, I wasn't used to people being prone to doing strange things, unless it was me. Danny must have been the one who cheered when Rob got back to the group. They moved off and I joined a gathering of gabby girls. Lord, how some of these dimwits got accepted is beyond me. I pushed down my dinner and then almost ran back upstairs to get my homework done. When I arrived to my chamber, however, I promptly screamed 'GET OUT!' to Rob's friends.

"No." the Anderson fellow told me. I was very tempted to break new ground; scratch a broken nose, how about a concussion? I needed my privacy in here. Maybe I was aver reacting to this all. So, putting on a nice face, I gently asserted that I would prefer it if they had to hold this little study group, that they do it somewhere else, I couldn't take them all in here at once. You see, there were sides of the room. Mine and Rob's, and I would like to keep it that way. Anderson just laughed. One or two of the others caught on to the fact I was a little testy and backed off.

"Neil, man, let's just go to the library." One said.

"No." Anderson started. "Why should we, there's plenty of room in here."

"Because I told you so." I said defensively.

"Maybe we should really-"

"Don't worry Overstreet, we're not going anywhere."

Something hit me. I turned to Rob. "Your last name is Overstreet? And yours is Anderson." I motioned to the kid I was fighting with. "This way freaky, those were the names of some of my father's friends when he was here. I was having a good laugh. "No way, this is too strange."

"No, no," another was saying, "It's entirely likely that those were your father's friends."

"Only now," I was almost giggling. Hey, I am weird. "We'd be the second generation."

"Yeah, any way, Danny, got the answer to problem five yet?"

"Nope-"

"You guys are going to move now."

"Let's not tempt fate." Rob moved his group out and left me in peace.

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I was sketching in my bed later that night. I had spontaneously remembered the name my father had muttered as we pulled in the gate. Hell-ton. I liked it. It fit a little to well, as I would learn later on. But for that night I was content to draw lazily. I had been reading too many fantasy novels as of late and my subjects drifted towards that genre. My pencil was scratching out a girl leaning out of a stone window sill with loose hair and a rose dangling from her hand. I have never made my drawings look like me, it bugs me too much, so needless to say this maiden bore no semblance to me. I was working on her hands when Rob finally showed up with ten minutes to lights out.

I dropped it on the floor and stretched before I put the pad underneath my bed. He looked at it quickly before putting the sheet up so he could change.

"It's good." He said fast. I nodded and closed the pad. I stowed my gear. I was asleep before the lights even went off.

Feed back is good…flames please! I know a 'second generation' story isn't all that common, but the idea came to me. I gotta get back to my poetry, my English teacher wants more of it. I found out what it's called when you have the ability to speak in rhyme and riddle. 'The Last Word' is supposed to give you power over faerie folk and demons of the Gaelic sort. Which is interesting because my family is Irish. That's why I'm the Druidess. Druids are Gaelic. Hm…I'm going to go to bed now. Oh yeah, 'voir' means to see, one form your familiar with is déjà vu, meaning 'already seen' in French. Oh I speak French to an extent. Hmm….night - The Druidess -

CHARLIE: Meeks. Door. Closed.

MEEKS: Yes sir.

NEIL: Gentlemen, what are the four pillars?

BOYS: Travesty. Horror. Decadence. Excrement

I have the entire script at my disposal!! Want a copy? E-mail me, I'll send it to you. Why? Do I have it? Not suitable for discussion.


	3. Starting to Take Things Into Our Own Han...

Oh…yeah…then she flicked her hair…oh…yeah…he began to stare…Waiter! Bring me water! I gotta make him keep his cool…waiter! Bring me water! He's acting like a fool…um hi! Never write and listen to Shania Twain at the same time. Never goes well. I'm actually loving writing this, even though it's total crap. I think it's because I've actually knocked out a senior because he had finally pushed one too many buttons. No, he didn't get a broken nose, but I do know how to do that. Ok, how about you read the story now?

September passed in a blur of new activities and settling in. The girl's dorms went horribly wrong. The contractor hired to do them flubbed the job horribly. Something was wrong with the insulation of the walls and the plumbing, guaranteeing that I would be sharing a room with Rob for a while. Many of the girls were ready to tear their hair out and a few of the parents were a little displeased. After all, half the reason they had sent their daughters to a nearly all boys school was because they would have separate facilities. I could have cared less. I had my sheet and my privacy with it. I had found that the boys of my dorm gave me my room and overall treated my more like one of the guys than a girl. Annette (who was still burning mad at me) said that that was because I was so ugly, not at all feminine. I told her to bite me.

Still, there were drawbacks to sharing a room with Rob, although I shan't discuss them here. At the beginning of October I was getting a little moody. No, it wasn't that time of the month, I was bored. Classes and homework occupied most of my time, sure, but I needed something entertaining. My idea of an art club was promptly quashed by the administration, so I had no extracurricular activity. Hell, the arts weren't much encouraged at this school. Seemed all the guys were lining up to be lawyers or doctors or businessmen. Not to many had a sense of art for the beauty of it or true self expression. We all looked alike in uniform (besides the skirts) and in what we were being taught. I decided to take a stand in English.

Donelly was a little late so I stood up boldly and began to read something I'd written the night before. Among my class were Rob, Anderson, Danny, and few of their friends that had frequented our room.

"I see the sun in the East

the moon to the West

the stars above me and

the ground below me

I feel the sun on my face

Water on my hands

Earth under my feet

The wind on my hair

I see the trees grow green

And the grass sway to the breeze

I see the happy young people

And those older

I see the graves

Where we all go

For we are all mortal

We all are

And so is the sun

And the moon

And the wind, water

Earth and sky

I feel-"

"Thank you Miss Dalton." Donelly said curtly. She was coming in for the first time to a quiet class and had the nerve to insult the person responsible for such a rare phenomenon. I slid back into my seat as she dropped her papers on her desk.

"Actually, Miss Dalton, maybe your little outburst is good for something. Can anyone tell me what was wrong with Miss Dalton's poem. Anyone? We're starting that unit today, so chop chop!"

The class remained silent. The students just shuffled in their seats, looking at each other, waiting for some one to answer. Donelly tapped her foot impatiently. "No one then?"

Silence.

"It lacked a rhyme scheme, foot and meter. Such poetry never flows the same way as poetry that attains correct foot and meter. Now, the basic forms of foot are iambic, anapestic, trochaic, dactylic- don't you groan at me!"

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We took notes, lots of notes. My next class, P.E., was a bit of an uplift. The track was occupied by another set of people (the cross country team) and my class of girls was spilt and put with other classes. I was happily playing soccer for one glorious hour before dinner. I took on the part of goalie and the boys laughed. I told them not to hold back and they laughed even harder. They brought it on though and I surprised everyone. Nothing got by me. I was a one woman force against the balls! Anderson was in this particular set and was trying the hardest to slip me up. I made a spectacular and painful save by jumping sideways and catching the ball. I was a little dazed when I sat up, but it was worth it to see the look on his face.

After dinner, I actually allowed Rob to hold his homework group in the room. I think it was because they were so hopeless with their English homework it was funny.

"I wan-dered lone-ly as a cloud." One of them called Geoff said out of proportion to determine the foot and meter. "What do you think? Iambic…what?"

"I dunno."

"This is pointless."

"Your enthusiasm is overwhelming." I said.

"Yeah? Let's see you read this thing."

"That I shall, Master Geoff." I found my own textbook. In typical guy fashion, the cogs in their brains were already turning, making up nasty cracks and jokes.

"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, by William Wordsworth." I started. I had done this poem in freshman honors English.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills

When all at once I saw a crowd

A host, of golden daffodils

Beside the lake, beneath the trees

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continu-"

"It's a poem about _flowers_? Damn women teachers."

"Shut it Anderson. As I was saying:

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky-way

They stretched in a never ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand I saw at a glance

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out did the sparkling waves in glee;

A poet could not but be gay

In such jocund company

I gazed-and gazed-but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or pensive mood

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills

And dances with the daffodils." I finished. "Well, any comments or did you finally figure out the answer for foot and meter?"

There was silence for a few minutes, I thought maybe, just maybe, they'd been reached and they were about to prove they weren't all the hormonal idiots I thought them to be. I was wrong, so wrong

"What the hell is 'jocund'?"

"Who dances with flowers?"

"Why would anyone even write about flowers?"

"OK! Everyone out, NOW! I've had it, out, out, OUT!"

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It was later that evening, as I finished off my Trig homework, that I was surprised.

"What did it mean?"

"What did what mean?" I answered Rob's question with another.

"That poem, what did it mean?"

I rolled over (I was on my bed and on my stomach) and faced him. "Why?"

"I dunno why Charlie, I just want to know."

"I can't tell you , really, you have to interpret it for yourself."

"So?"

"So, what do you think it means?"

"I think it means, whoever wrote it, got sick of other people and sought solitude among plants."

I rolled my eyes, good lord. "Ok, whatever you think, I suppose, is good enough for you."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go use the bathroom-"

"One step ahead of you, changed when you were in Anderson's room."

"Charlie?"

"Mm?"

"Don't mention that to anyone."

"K."

I wrote another chapter! It was bad, it was bad, it was bad, and it was really bad. I know it was! But when I get going on a roll, I'm hard to stop. Yes, I have another chapter on the way soon. Yay! I should give my characters names and surnames, shouldn't I? But I haven't yet, but it's in the works and my head so be braced! La la la la la la…I'm going to go listen to more Shania. Byesies! - The Druidess -

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Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Why does the writer use these lines?

CHARLIE: Because he's in a hurry.


	4. Sabrina Meeks

Hello! I post!

I had earned myself a place of embarrassment. The story of me reading to the boys had leaked out and become a tad warped in the process. Some one had added a few, nasty touches. Like I was stripping as I did it. The administration had caught wind of this and considered moving me to a different room where I would cause less trouble. But because it was only a rumor, they left me alone. I think they left me because I was the only girl rooming with a guy, and because they kept a close watch on me. I was getting restless in the school, often watching the moon and stars at night, wishing to get out and run around. I hated the total lack of freedom in this place. Everything we did was structured, ridgid and obviously time proven tradition.

English had become the most miserable subject of all. Donelly was suddenly cracking down and sucking all of the fun out of it. The entire class loathed her teaching so. We recited foot and meter. We wrote out long lists of sound devices. Metonymy, alliteration, consonance, assonance, metaphor, simile, so forth and so on, we knew them all. A right pain they were too. After steadfastly refusing to let any boy other than Rob into the room for about two weeks, I let them in the night we were supposed to read 'The Raven'. With a week to go 'til Halloween it was quite appropriate. But once again, no one could quite grasp the mood of it. I said it was a haunting, melodramatic thing when you got into it. They said nay, it was just plain dull.

I let them go back to whining over English and trading answers for other classes to sit at the window and look at the near full moon. Then it hit me, why not go for a little stroll in the dark woods and read 'The Raven'? It was perfectly spooky and what not. And I could use a good illegal run about. But being new I knew nothing about the nighttime workings of the school. Obviously there had to be some one on patrol, and maybe an alarm system. And I would have to know my way around in the dark, know landmarks and all that jazz. So I made little plans in my head.

Now, I think I have to discuss one of the drawbacks of sharing a room with Rob. He's extremely neat (I was right!), way too neat for anyone our age. Our room, or his side at least, was always impeccably clean. I am a messy person, period. I heard that it was the sign of a genius; Rob contradicted this notion powerfully. Our argument was often over my art supplies. While most of the time they were hidden from prying eyes that might remove them, they did run a tendency to travel about the room. Once, in a fit of inspiration and while Rob was somewhere else, my chalk pastels wandered over to his bad and ultimately shed pink, green and yellow all over his sheets. His reaction was, well, less than pleased.

"What happened?" he was just bluntly staring at the bed. I was nervously smiling.

"Oops?"

"What happened?"

"I wasn't thinking."

"Do you ever think?"

"Sometimes."

"I'm not sleeping in that."

"So you're going to get friendly with the floor then?"

"How about you sleep with the pink and I use your bed?"

"What?"

"Switch, now."

For the most part, Rob was the sort who used full sentences and thoughts unless there was something that seriously had him perturbed. Messes I made was one of things at the top of his list at the moment. And besides it was too late find clean sheets. So I slept in the pink mess and Rob got into my sheets and promptly sat on a pencil. I had never actually fallen asleep after Rob and I found out why it was better that I was asleep before him. He snored, loudly. I had my head beneath the pillow, which pleasant either, it reeked of cologne. I was ready to scream. It was going to be a very long night.

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If the next morning I was horribly cranky, there was a reason but I would never admit to it. I arrived to breakfast late and had to sit next to Annette, who kept sniffing like she smelt something. She asked who on earth was wearing that god-awful perfume. Then it hit me, it was me; I must have smelled like Rob's cologne. It was the perfect way to start a thoroughly miserable day.

First, in Chemistry I screwed up a pop quiz. That was enough to make me distracted for French. When M. Noir asked 'Fais-tu ses deviors?'1 I answered, 'Euh, je ne sais pas.'2 and was given extra homework and detention. During Trig, I fell asleep and thankfully Geoff kicked that back of my seat to get me up, but still, I fell asleep! In Fine Arts, while using chalk pastels, I sneezed and knocked over a grand total of six, yes six, easels when I jumped backwards. For History, I lost my homework, but was able to remember all of the answers called upon. The assignment wasn't collected, thank god, but I think the teacher was suspicious. English, I hadn't read 'The Raven', what a surprise I'd gotten sidetracked, but remembered enough from freshman year to get by on the skin of my teeth. I just barely made it to P.E. without trying to escape the grounds.

As I was changing, I stubbed my toe on the wall. Watch out for those things, they can really sneak up on you. I let a few choice words fly. The girl next to me, a nerdy looking one, peeked her head around the corner of her stall.

"Tough day?"

"You don't know the half of it."

"We all have our days. I'm Sabrina Meeks."

"Charlie Dalton."

"But that's a-"

"Boy's name. Yeah, I know. My given is Charlotte."

"I don't blame you then."

"So how old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Same here."

"Which class are you in? I think I have to run."

"Last time, we go to play soccer because the cross country team was using the track. The nerve!"

"Yeah, the nerve!"

And I so made my first friend who was a girl.

1 'Did you do your homework?'

2 'I don't know.'

Yes!!!!! I posted a chapter!!! I'm sooo happy! Try to pull me down; it can't be done!! (dances around wildly) YES!!! SOOOO HAPPY! and i have the first illustration ready to go. you have to e-mail me for it and make sure your online account accepts pictures. it's a cartoon really because i don't have time to do a 'real' drawing. ok? ok, i'll see you later. - the Druidess -

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Okay, study group. Meeks aced Latin. I didn't quite flunk English. So, if you want, we've got our study group.


	5. Midnight Madness!

Da da da da da da da da da…today I'm listening to pink. Trouble y'all. I finished an overview of my 'second generation' characters: Charlotte 'Charlie' Dalton, Robert 'Rob' Overstreet, Sabrina 'Sabs' Meeks, and Neil Anderson. It's called 'Tell Me About It!' showing Charlie and Rob back to back and speaking to their opposite 2ndgen characters. (Charlie/ Sabs – Rob/ Anderson)

Detention at Hell-ton is something that should only ever be experienced once before you know that you should never earn one again. M. Noir must have drilled me on every French verb and adjective known to man. My head was aching as I hauled my butt back to my room at eight thirty to do the rest of my homework. The door was only slightly ajar and the voices of the guys were drifting out. Neil Anderson was asserting a point as leaned in to eavesdrop.

"We know the story. Rob and I know it better than the rest of you. The Society was dedicated to 'sucking the marrow out of life'. If you want to start it up again, than we need the book, and it disappeared with the first Charlie Dalton."

"Then obviously we need to bribe her somehow to see if her father still has it." Danny pointed out.

"I think that it would be risky to let anyone out side this room in on it. I think it's too risky to even attempt, even if we got our hands on the book." Rob said. "Besides, Charlie's not going to do anything we tell her to."

"Well, how would you know?" Geoff asked.

"She's only my roommate." Rob said bitterly. "Lord, you try sharing your room with a girl. It's near god damn impossible. Not to even mention the state of this place, look at the mess!"

"Aw, cork it." Another voice said. I heard the rustling of pages. "She draws some hot women, think she might be queer?"

"We're getting off the point. If we're going to do this, we need that book, we need Charlie to get it." Anderson reminded them.

"Ain't there an easier way?" Geoff whined.

"No."

There were a few things that initially went through my head as I was listening to this. 1.) Some one was in my sketchbook, the private one! 2.) They thought my drawings were good, and 3.) They were talking of resurrecting the Dead Poets Society. That made my blood run cold; I knew that story all too well. I'd heard it so many times from my father. How everything had skittered out of control, a boy had killed himself and a teacher was fired. They wouldn't, they shouldn't; the Society had had its run. I was reluctant in thought, but part of me wanted to try it out. If the book had gone missing with my father, then wasn't there the possibility that he still had it? I put my hand on the doorknob and opened the door, returning to my cocky self. No one can say I've suffered from low self-esteem.

They all looked up at me, unaware that I'd been listening. There was a guy lying on my bed with sketches all around him, my art supplies had traveled around quite a bit. I

smiled at all of them and then glared at Rob, who swallowed hard. The one on my bed, who was still handling my drawings, looked very guilty. Neil, Danny and Geoff, it seemed, tried to shrink into the corner. I tapped my foot, waiting for an explanation.

"Sean," Rob said in hushed tone, "Put the drawings down and step away."

"I think if you want to start up the Society again and you need my help, you are damn well going to let me in. I'll see if I can get the book." I caught them all off guard with that. Anderson looked suspicious, Danny looked like his mind had left the building and Geoff was in his usual state of stupor. I smirked at them. "So, what do you say?"

They all exchanged looks, it was on the apparent that they weren't sure what to make of me. I was strange and moody, prone to change attitude very quickly. Rob was looking at me through mistrusting eyes. I extended my hand. "On my honor, I will get the book on the one condition you include me and one other person of my choice."

They were hesitating. "Well?"

Anderson stood up and proved just how much taller he was than me. As he towered over me, I stood firm. He took my hand and shook it once with a rough grip, then dropped it.

"Done." He said.

"Now!" I said clapping my hands. "I think you know what I want."

"For us to get out." They all said in unison.

"Oh, look at what you've learned!"

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Later that night, I was lying awake listening to the bell tower toll midnight. I was having trouble sleeping and Rob was too. How do I know? He wasn't snoring, but he wasn't saying anything either. He must have thought I was asleep because he was slipping out of bed and switching on a flashlight. He found his shoes and coat and pulled them on. He was at the door when I sat up. He jumped and the beam of the flashlight swung wildly.

"Shit, Charlie, I thought you were asleep." He said. It was obvious I'd scared him.

"Where're you going?" I asked.

"Out. Go to sleep." He told me turning for the door once again.

"I'm coming with you!" I said leaping out of bed landing heavily with loud thump.

"SH! I don't want to get caught!"

"Sorry."

"I suppose I don't have much choice in taking you, do I?"

"Nope." I said cheerfully. I was going out! Out, out, out, out! This was going to be fun! I snuck out all of the time when I was still going to public school. No, not for the reason you're thinking of and I know you are, but because I could and I wanted to. I pulled on a sweatshirt over my pajamas and grabbed my shoes. I put my hood up to hide my face, although I don't know why. Whatever. Grudgingly Rob led me down the hall and out the doors.

The night air was refreshing and cold with October chill. I drank in the sweet freedom with gusto. I slowed to a walk and just relaxed. This wasn't a good idea, apparently, because Rob grabbed my arm and pulled me into a run. Blindly I followed the bouncing beam of his light as we jogged through the woods. Something with wings leapt up into the sky, stirring the air and frightening me. I screeched and Rob told me to shut up. The woods where getting to me, and so was the air of Halloween. Something Poe seemed appropriate. I began to recite the final verse of 'The Bells' in a spooky voice.

"Hear the tolling of the bells-

Iron bells!

What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!

In the silence of the night,

How we shiver with affright

At the melancholy menace of their tone!

For every sound that floats

From the rust within their throats

Is a groan.

And the people- ah the people-

They that dwell up in the steeple,

All alone,

And who tolling, tolling, tolling,

In that muffled monotone

Feel a glory in so rolling,

On the human heart a stone-

They are neither man nor woman-

They are neither brute not human-

They are Ghouls:

And it is their-"

"Shut up! Just shut up! I can't think straight!" Rob's flashlight was roaming all over the place. He was walking back and forth, pacing. I stayed silent for about a second then I had to ask. "What's wrong?"

He was rubbing his temples. "I think we're lost."

"WHAT?!"

"I couldn't concentrate on the path with you speaking. You were distracting." He was looking around for landmarks. I was quiet as he found his way back to the main path and back on track to where ever we were going. It was back to jogging in the woods in the middle of the night and I was tripping and stumbling like crazy. Soon, I heard the trickle of running water. There came a stream into my view and a shadowed area near it that looked to be a cave. Rob's light was bounding across the water and I followed, not wanting to be left alone.

I was led into a cramped stone tunnel. After hitting my head on the ceiling I'd had enough. But I pressed forward. The tunnel opened into a larger chamber with a hole in the top. There was the time worn fireplace in the center. The only sign that it had been used for that purpose at all were the charred rocks that created a circle. In an indent on the wall there was an old lamp with a decrepit candle stuck where that light bulb should have been. The whole place showed signs of people once meeting here, but long ago at best. Rob was running his light all over.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked quietly. I shook my head. "They met here." He said reverently. "In here, right here."

"Why is this such a big deal?" I asked.

"Anderson has a long going issue with the headmaster, he wants the ultimate way to defy him. He thinks this is the way to do it."

"So, why are you in?"

"I dunno, I want to be I guess."

"You need a reason."

"Why do you want to be in?

"I ain't pleased about being sent to private school, my dad wasn't pleased when he was sent, we both feel the need to tell people who try to control us that they can't make us do anything. Since he sent me here, why not join in and make the same move."

"Charlie, you've lost your marbles."

"There were never any to lose in the first place."

"That's nice."

We headed back after a few minutes more in the cave. We went back jogging through the dark woods and reached the school as the bells tolled two in the morning. I hit the hay and knew for a fact that tomorrow, well, I would be a little tired, but it would be worth it!

(dances) I posted another chapter! Keep reviewing! I love getting reviews, 'specially when I'm on a chapter writing roll, 'cause for the most part I'm a one-shot girl, no lie. Chapter 6 on the way soon! – The Druidess –

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You're in the club! Being in the club means being stirred up by things. You look about as stirred up as a cesspool.


	6. The Substitute

I update!

I was in a dull Fine Arts class the next day with Sabrina. We were drawing water lilies and she was pretty hopeless at it. Flustered, she dropped her white again. I picked it up and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She said as she went back to taking a stab at drawing. She had told me earlier that she wasn't all that good at it.

"Then why are you in this class?" I'd asked. She twirled a strand of her curly copper hair and shoved her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

"My mom says it's going to make me more appealing when I go to get married." She ceded reluctantly. "I'm really good at math and science. I mean, I can make a radio or figure out all those Trig problems with no problem. My mother says I'm never going to get married if I keep thinking for myself and if I'm all smart."

I was stunned. "Well, there's some old fashioned sentiment."

"No freaking kidding." She said. "But my dad likes me the way I am. We rigged the biggest music system you've ever seen!" And she was proud of that. So I left it at that.

I yawned, last night had made me tired, but I hadn't gotten any sleep. Why? Rob went out like a light and sawed wood all the livelong night. He'd gotten up earlier and left. I got up soon after, but as I was dressing, he decided to remember his homework and had bolted back. It wasn't an ideal situation. I was in my underwear and bra and he was going to be red for the rest of the day; that was for sure. The others, Danny, Neil, Sean and Geoff, must have gotten all of the details out of him at breakfast, for when I walked into English (a class that they are all in), they looked me over.

We sat in silence for five minutes or so. The teacher hadn't appeared yet. When they did, it was a sub. Another young teacher, but he didn't look halfway as nasty as Donelly. In fact, he looked down right absentminded. He put his bag down on the desk in front and looked out on us with a smile. "Hello."

There were mumbled 'Hellos' all around. He pulled a textbook out from a drawer of the desk; placing it down he turned and wrote his name on the board. A Mr. O'Ryan had come to sub our class. We all sort of stared, waiting for him to do something. He stared right back with a half smile. Like I said, he was young. He must have stood beneath six feet and had short sandy hair that was standing on end. We all were waiting for some one to do something, anything.

O'Ryan flipped open the book and began looking at the pages. He paused to read something; he looked back up at the class. "So," he asked, "Where are you in this?"

A goody two shoes by the name of Lauren flipped primly through her book, stopping at a marked page. "Page five ninety five." She said.

O'Ryan turned to the page and looked at the poem on it. The rest of us opened up our books. 'The Funeral' graced that page. He was looking at the class seating chart. We could see his lips moving as he put a name with a face. "Dalton, I've heard quite a bit at this place about a Charlie Dalton." He looked at us.

I raised my hand. "Which one sir? Me or my Dad?"

"Charlotte, isn't it?"

"Charlie, sir, I like to be called Charlie."

"That's an unusual name for a girl." Why do they always have to say that?

"Well, your father I suppose, you look to innocent to be thrown out."

"She is NOT!" Anderson sounded from the back. All my classmates sniggered.

"Thank you Mr. …Anderson. That will do. In fact, because you spoke up, why don't you read what's in front of you. Your teacher wants you to cover it, there will be a quiz tomorrow."

Anderson made a face, but read in a mocking tone all the same.

"After many snows I was home again.

Time had whittled down to mere hills

The mountains if my childhood.

Raging rivers I once swam trickled now like gentle streams.

And the wide road curving on to China or Kansas City or

perhaps Calcutta,

Had withered to a crooked path of dust

Ending abruptly at the county burial ground.

Only the giant who was my father remained the same.

A hundred strong men strained beneath his coffin

When they bore him to his grave." Anderson finished, still using a mocking tome of voice. O'Ryan grinned at him. Anderson sat back down.

"Does anyone see the main theme?" O'Ryan asked. I had an idea, I might be wrong, but it sounded like it had a strong theme of perspectives. When you're a kid everything seem so big and powerful and as you grow up these things once so big shrink. That and we all die at some point. My father had told me when I was five that I was going to die some day and to live like each day was my last. Now that is something big to tell a five year old and it has left quite an impression on me. But the guys were already letting their idiocy out.

"The author doesn't feel like swimming?"

"His father died?"

"He died?"

"He ran out of pavement?"

"He's a grave digger?"

"He's traveled the world?"

"THINGS OF HIS CHILDHOOD HAVE CHANGED BECAUSE HE GREW UP AND LEFT HOME! AND WE ALL DIE SOMEDAY!" I yelled over the confusion because I couldn't take it anymore.

"Thank you Miss Dalton. Yes, when you all go home for the holidays, go to your old hideout or you ole swimming hole. They will look very different because you're older, taller, I don't know if mature would apply to all of you and your perspectives have changed. Changing perspectives is often the best way to solve a problem. Now, who's read 'To Kill a Mockingbird'?"

Three people raised their hands. He pointed to one named Francis.

"Tell us then what the theory of Atticus Finch is."

"You don't know how someone feels until you've walked around in their skin?"

"Close enough Mr. Howe. This idea allows us to write about anything. You need to understand what others feel, think and do. With this concept, most anything is possible. Yes, it could even come to be useful for those of you who are going to be lawyers or doctors." O'Ryan was smiling at those who were rolling their eyes. "Poetry can allow to savor or appreciate the emotions or passions of another or of yourself. I noticed in an earlier class that some one had ripped out the introduction of your textbooks and after reading it in this one, they did that quite rightfully so."

O'Ryan closed his book and looking around, jumped up onto the heater. "My you all look very different from up here. Anderson there doesn't look nearly as tall as he really is and you, Mr. Overstreet, you don't look so calm. What is going on in that head one may wonder? Why is the poor boy so horribly flushed and only turning redder as I speak of him? What could it be?"

O'Ryan got off of the heater and sat cross legged on the floor. "Well, you all look positively gigantic from here. Why don't you all change you perspectives? Come now, change them."

I was the first to move. Well, almost. I think Anderson beat me to it. We both stood on our desks at the same moment. Rob, who was behind me, quickly hissed, "Sit down for the love of god!" as he could see up my skirt.

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"That has got to be the best class I have ever had!" I announced as I was walking out with the guys and a reluctant Sabrina. I told her to stop living up to her name, but it was no use. Rob was still red as a cherry. All of us couldn't help but laugh at him. The poor only child was unaccustomed to women other than his mother. To him, the fact that he'd viewed me in a most indecent manner, was unbearable. I was even over that fact but not him.

"I don't think we're going to get past that quiz tomorrow." Sabrina said.

"Sabs don't you get anything?" Danny said.

"What?" she said stubbornly.

"We were never going to pass it in the first place." Dan reminded her.

Well, the next day, wouldn't you know, the entire class failed. It was sufficient enough for our home work to be near copying our textbooks down until our brains bled.

Ok there you go and remember to review! I'll see everyone tomorrow because I'm posting three chapters this weekend! – The Druidess

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Mr. Nolan, it's for you. It's God. He says we should have girls at Welton.


	7. Break Mission :: Part One

POSTAGE!!

I was standing at the doors of the school, waiting to be picked up by my father for Thanksgiving break. The girls dorms would be finished the day after we came back. I shoved my hands deeper into the pockets of the new overcoat with the Welton crest on it, trying to keep them warm in the November nip. Anderson had reminded me as his parents picked him up of our bargain. I was to retrieve the Dead Poets book if my father indeed harbored it. Rob wasn't standing all that far off, equally cold. He'd become silent in the past few weeks. I think because of that one day. He was the eternal gentleman about everything; polite, conservative and calm. He was looking down on his shoes as he paced to and fro with a steady scuff. I picked up my bag and walked over to where he was. Sitting on my bag I asked what was wrong.

"Hhm? Oh, nothing. I was just thinking." He stopped pacing and looked up at the sky. "If we're going to do this…I mean is it right? We could get thrown out, or in serious trouble."

"You don't have to be in." I reminded him.

"I know. I'm just not daring the way Anderson is, or stupid like Sean and Danny."

"And what does that make me?" I wanted to know. Rob sat down on his suitcase too. Rubbing his leather clad hands together, he replied, "I dunno, I'm bit afraid to answer that one."

"Coward." I muttered. My father's car was coming, I could hear it. It was a '69 Grand Prix in bronze and that sucker was loud. It rumbled up the drive followed by a quiet sedan. I stood and gathered my belongings up as the Prix came to a halt. Rob was tucking in his scarf as the sedan slowed as well. I called to him to have a nice holiday as I slid in the Prix. Dad was staring in the rearview mirror at the driver of the sedan. He swung his head around to look out the back of the car. He jumped out and walked over to the other vehicle. He the driver of the opposing car were soon talking and laughing like old school buddies. That's because they were.

"Lottie! Lottie, come here!" Dad called. "I want you to meet Mr. Overstreet! Hey, that rhymed!"

I got out of my spot and reminded my father that my name was Charlie. Mr. Overstreet, a man in his mid forties with brown hair that was tinged with gray and a kind smile, was Rob's father. My roommate was sitting in the front of the car, waiting to leave.

"So, Charlie you like to be called? Fits since your father called himself 'Nuwanda'." Mr. Overstreet said as he shook my hand. "Have you met my son, Rob? He's sitting there all clammed up."

"He's my roommate." I said cheerfully. Mr. Overstreet raised his eyebrows in question. "Really?"

"Oh yes," I assured him. "The girls dorms aren't useable, so they fit us in with the boys. I share a room with Robert." I told him with a smile. Mr. Overstreet seemed amused at this fact as his son tried to disappear into the leather interior of the front seat. I smiled and waved at him as he sank further into it. Then the two adults began a conversation I didn't feel like following. I looked at Rob and laughed. I walked over to his window and tapped on it. He lowered it, rolling his eyes. The wind blew my loose hair around as I leaned in. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"I want to go home. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"You look like you're about to die in there." I pointed out.

"Nmph." Was his answer. I shook my head and stood up. Rob rolled the window up and went back to silence. My dad was motioning for me to get in the car. His trademark mischief grin was stuck on his face. "He's cute."

"Hhm?"

"Your roommate."

"Aw, Dad! He's a bore. Stick in the mud."

"Bet you like him."

"GOOD GOD! Listen to yourself."

"I'm just watching you blush Lottie." (The truth was, I'd been yelling and had run out air. I had turned red.)

Dad swung the car onto the highway. The engine roared even louder, if that was possible. We only stayed on the highway for about fifteen minutes before Dad ducked off into a small town. I didn't say anything, but I was perplexed. This certainly wasn't our stop. I glanced in the mirror and saw the Overstreet's sedan following closely. "Where're we going?"

"Knox invited me over for a bit."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes." Dad said as he let the sedan pass. We followed it into a suburban area. The houses were neat, the lawns trimmed and the sidewalks clean. The sedan pulled into a sedate looking whit house with black shutters. Dad put the Prix in the street in front of it. I got out of the car and leaned against it. My dad was rummaging through the trunk. He tossed me some of my street clothes. Mr. Overstreet told his son to take me inside to meet his mother. I followed Rob up the tidy walkway.

The house was warm and smelled of something baking. Rob shrugged off his overcoat and unwound his scarf, sniffing the sweet smell on the air. I stood like a living afterthought in the neat living room. Mrs. Overstreet, blonde and quite pretty, attacked her son with a hug before she noticed me. When she did, I was given a similar treatment, like I was a long lost child of hers. She showed me to the bathroom where I could slip out of my school togs.

My dad had brought some of my favorite clothes. I had my best pair of black jeans and my purple t-shirt with the three yellow stripes across the front. And my boots, the black ones. After changingI wandered into a kitchen and was treated to chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. It was like walking into a story this place. I made no complaints as I ate my way through four scrumptious cookies. There was a clattering on the stairs. Mrs. Overstreet and I looked up to see what. It was Rob (go figure) in regular dress. He was pulling on a coat and heading out the door. His mother stopped him.

"Where are you going honey?" she asked. I sniggered into my plate.

"To Katie's. I promised her the second I got back-

"Why don't you take Charlie with you and introduce her to all your friends?"

Rob protested and I nearly choked on my cookies. "What?!" we both said at the same time. Still, Chris Overstreet makes a good argument and soon I was back in my Welton jacket heading down the street trying to keep up with Rob. I jogged a bit to catch up, my boots thudded loudly on the pavement.

"Who's Katie?" I asked.

"My girlfriend." He answered.

"Oh." I said. I then merely kept to the shadows as he greeted this Katie at her house. She was a fair bit happy to see Rob. Katie was the kind of girl that just screamed cheerleader. She had bouncy blonde hair and an equally bouncy mood. They did the usual couple trade off. I was leaning on a tree and was going to head back when Katie noticed me.

"Robby, who's that?" she asked in a sweet girly voice. I snickered as she used one of the names that I had been forbidden from using. Rob set a touch of a pained look on his face. "My roommate." He answered.

"But you said your roommate's name was Charlie, silly, that's a girl." I rolled my eyes and walked over to the other girl. I stuck out my hand. "Charlie Dalton." I said. Katie shook her head. "No, no. That's a _boy's_ name. You're a girl." I think the hair spray fumes might have gone to her head.

"My name is Charlotte, my nickname is Charlie." I said in a still amiable tone. She looked at Rob, then at me. "You've been sharing your room with a girl?" With a grimace, Rob nodded. Katie didn't seem all that pleased, but still, she offered that we go for something to eat. I was invited. It was short walk and a short cut to the local pizza parlor. I ordered a small pizza, the lovebirds ordered a plate of pasta. Spaghetti in fact, how cheesy could you get? I'd never seen Rob be so affectionate, and truth be told, it was scaring me. They sat in one side of the booth, I sat as far away on the other side as I possibly could. As they split the pasta, I scarfed down my pizza. Mm…real food. The cheese, the crust, oh how I missed real food! They were giggling like school children as I polished off my final slice. I threw down my share on the table and left, I doubt they noticed. I wasn't five steps from the restaurant before something flared up.

I know you must think I have chronic trouble issues. Well, yes a little, but not that much, trouble just sort of finds me. Today it found me in the way of group of guys, probably thinking because they hadn't seen me around before, that I would find them irresistable. Hm, yeah right. I continued walking with them forming a circle and making cat calls for quite a while. But when their leader grabbed my shoulders, I'd had it. I kicked him, hard, between his legs. Needless to say, that certainly didn't go over very well with any of them. Not very well at all. Thank god I had a bit of a head start.

I was soon running back into the shop with some pretty mad boys behind me. Rob and Katie weren't confused for long as I dove behind their booth.

"What the hell is going on?" Rob asked when the mob tramped in. I smiled weakly. "What did you do?"

He and Katie consented to hiding me until the coast was clear. When it was, I thanked them and ran. I found my way back easily enough and was lucky to find my dad ready to leave.

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My father and I were driving home in silence. He suddenly grinned. "What did you do?"

I looked at my booted feet and shuffled them about. "Nothin'."

"That means you did something."

"Nothin'."

"Fine, you don't tell me. I'll probably find out sooner or later anyway."

I sucked in a breath to steel my courage. Might as well get my mission over with now. "Dad?"

"Hm?"

"I was wondering…"

"Yes?"

"Could you tell me about the Dead Poets Society again?"

la la la la la… goo goo dolls today peoples. Relly relly good songs. Might use one later, maybe. I dunno. Read and review! – Druidess

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NEIL: Why'd you leave Balincrest? TODD: My brother went here. NEIL: Oh, so you're that Anderson 


	8. Break Mission :: Part Two

I am posting yet again! I have quite a few chapters written in advance to keep the ball rolling. I've finally done some calculations for the sake of cultural references. If the movie is set in 1959 with the main characters as seniors or juniors at the least, making them 16-18 years old, right? To make this work out on paper, I decided to put Nuwanda as a senior and therefore 17 years old. I also decided that Charlotte would come into the world when he was 25, making the year 1967. If Charlotte is 16, then the story is presently in the year 1983! Woot! Just letting y'all in on the insanity. So now I have a better frame of what's around and what's not. I just ask my parents or search the web for invention dates. Ok, now to the story! **Charlie: **I'm OLD! **Me: **No, you're sixteen, don't you know that? **Charlie: **If I live to your year, I'll be OLD! **Me: **It happens to everyone sweetie, get used to the idea. **Charlie: **((sobs)) **Me: **You're fictional, what the hell do you have to worry about? You're not going to age! **Charlie: **((sobs harder)) OLD! **Me:** Oh brother…

My dad seemed to be fighting an inner battle as he told me all about the Dead Poets again. I knew he was sort of proud of defying the stuffy headmaster and gaining his license as an artist. But I knew he was thinking I might try to pull the Society off, I was, after all, his child. But he let me on to a few details he'd skipped before. Like the exact location of the cave where they'd met (like I already didn't know that) and how the book of the Poets had mysteriously "vanished". His 'trouble' smile told me he had it and that was what I needed to know. He even told me the title of said book, _Five Centuries of Verse_. I asked if he knew what happened to it. Dad shifted uncomfortably at the wheel of the Prix. I was getting warmer; he would crack and show me it if I kept pestering him, I knew he wanted to.

I was jubilant when my house came into view. Oh my sweet lavender Victorian, with your magnificent turret and comfy farmer's porch, how could I have forsaken thee? I nearly hopped out of the car as it touched the drive way. My mom was at the door ushering one of the many students out of the house. My parents own a music store and teach the piano, saxophone, clarinet, French horn, drums, flute and recorder. I myself play the flute; we're very musical people. My mom was happy to see me and I was overjoyed to be home.

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The next morning was Thanksgiving Day. Mom already had the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade going on the TV. I could hear it from my room. Ah, MY room, no blank white walls or hard beds or cold hard wood floors or roommates or roommate's friends walking in and out at all times. I cracked open an eyelid, quickly shutting it because the sun was streaming merrily through the windows. I smiled; I missed sleeping in. I opened both of my eyes and looked at the erratically painted walls. The wild colors greeted me with cheer. I snuggled deep into my quilt. Oh, lord I was glad to be home. I heard Dad in the bathroom that was right next to my room and I could smell Mom cooking bacon. More real food! I leapt out of bed and followed my nose. My little brother, Theo, was already bolting down the stairs, each clunk louder than the last.

Mom's blonde hair was sitting messily upon her head, the sunlight that came in through the bay window made it glow. She was in her bathrobe and dancing around, tending to the stove. She was working on a combination of dinner and breakfast all at once. She took a few strips of the bacon out the frying pan and set them aside to cool; I promptly snitched some. Theo put his hands protectively around his plate and grunted; I rolled my eyes and ruffled his dirty blond hair. Mom laughed and made me a plate. Pancakes with rivers of syrup, toast dripping with butter and, of course, nice crispy bacon. I was munching away as she put a mug of her homemade hot cocoa in front of me. I nearly finished everything in one gulp.

"My, my, Lottie. Haven't they been feeding you at that school?" she asked as she reloaded my plate.

"Yeah, you pig, what gives?" asked Theo. "Save some for the rest of us."

"What they _call_ food and what is actually _is_ food are two entirely different things." I told her through a mouthful of toast. I swallowed. "Anything is better than what they serve."

My father was coming down the stairs. Laughing he said, "I second that! _Anything_ is better than Hellton hash." Mom glared at him playfully. It was both a compliment to her cooking and an insult.

"Hell-ton hash?" Theo echoed.

"School food." Dad and I said in unison.

I stuffed more pancake into my mouth to avoid laughing aloud for I totally agreed with Dad. Anything was better. After breakfast, after chasing Theo around for fifteen minutes as he with held my shoes, I went to hunt down Kelly. Kelly is the best friend anyone could wish for. I wore my Welton coat and it kept me warm as I strolled down the street. Kelly's house was a small bright white Cape with a blue door and shutters. I knocked on the door and she opened up with a shriek. Actually, we both sort of started squealing and hugging. Her parents finally yelled that she stop heating the Great Outdoors.

"Oh, let's see what she's wearing." Kelly said as she inspected my jacket. "Mhm, mhm. School jacket, ooh that's nice and warm isn't it?"

"It is and it should be. The thing was a hundred dollars."

"No!"

"Yes! Is that outrageous or what? You'd think for the amount of money it costs to go to that school, they'd give it to you for free."

"So how is boarding school?" Kelly asked me. I rolled my eyes and started spilling the news out. She and her parents laughed hard when I told them about the girl's dorms. She was almost in tears when I told her who I was sharing my room with. I told her about classes and getting in a fight my first day there. When all was told we leaned back and sighed, happy to be back together, even if it was only for a day. Yes, a day, I was going back tomorrow morning. Then Kelly began gossiping about the people and school I had left behind. The Art Club missed me; the cheerleaders didn't as they still remembered the paint incident of the previous of year. (That's a really, really long story; I'll let you fill in the blanks.) She said she had a boyfriend who was president of the Drama Club and that they were going to present _Romeo and Juliet _a week after her vacation ended. We wasted hours catching up but it seemed all too soon that I had to go home because her family was eating dinner. Mrs. Donahue didn't send me home empty handed; I got an apple pie, her specialty.

When I arrived at the Dalton residence it was a complete state of chaos. Dad had apparently been pinching the raw pie crust and helping himself to the cranberry jelly a little too much. Theo had eaten half a bag of sugar following Dad's example and was bouncing off the walls. Mom was in a fury and Dad was out of the kitchen until further notice and parents think we're immature. Dad was in a defiant mood; he was defying my mother's control over him, so he took my upstairs into the attic as soon as I had deposited the pie on the kitchen counter. I was wondering what could possibly be up here that would prove to be 'bad'. I soon found out.

Dad was messing with the trunks that I knew contained items from his childhood and such. He pulled a small case out of one and (surprisingly) fitted one of the keys from his ring into the miniscule lock. The case held a lone and worn black book. Dad flipped it over and dusted the cover. _Five Centuries of Verse_. Dad grinned at me, "You know what this is." He handed it to me. I looked at him warily; this was too easy.

I opened it and turned the first pages softly. In a sprawling hand some one had quoted Thoreau. It was the 'sucking the marrow out of life' bit. I flipped through the book. It contained some of the most major poets of our time. Shakespeare, Poe, Wordsworth, Emerson and many others. There were bits of paper inserted here and there that I guessed contained verse by past members of the Society. As I looked at the last few pages a picture fell out. It showed seven boys in a crowded cave. One too tall, one with large glasses who looked vaguely like Sabrina, one with a serious aura and hair that looked like a steamroller had run over it, one with high cheekbones and a handsomely expressive face, my father with his mischief look in place and cigarette dangling from his long fingers, Mr. Overstreet with a bemused smile and one that was half in the shadows. I handed the photo to Dad. He began pointing to the figures and explaining.

"Let's see…that's Pittsie…who knows how many times he hit his head on that cave…and Meeks…Jesus he looks like nerd…Cameron…he finked on us, turned us all in…that's Neil, he's the one who…well…you know…that's me lookin' good…there's Mr. Overstreet, he'd just met Chris…and that is Todd Anderson, hiding the background as usual…he never did much." Dad's brow furrowed as he spoke. There was a bitter ring to his voice as he mentioned Cameron. I could understand why; I would be pissed if Kelly ever went behind my back like that. He handed me the picture back so I could put it in the book. I asked quietly if I could read it. Dad was perhaps lost in thought and memory, for he agreed.

We went back downstairs to find that Mom was calm and all was well. I fingered the frayed edge of the book and retreated to my room to become immersed in poetry until Dad came to get me for dinner. The real food was excellent. I won our yearly eating contest, which is saying something with Theo and Dad to contend with. Theo might be only eleven years old, but he's a human vacuum cleaner. I must have eaten half the turkey and, after a slice of both pies, I promptly passed out on the living room couch. I drifted off to the noise of Thanksgiving football.

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I woke up later in my room in the middle of the night. I felt for the Verse book where I had hidden it in my nightstand. It was there. I slipped out of bed and stuck it in my suitcase. I was braced for tomorrow. The Dead Poets Society was going to make a giant comeback.

**Me: **There you go! Another chapter! **Charlie: **Why did you stick me with a guy's name? **Me: **I thought it would be neat-o! **Charlie: **Anderson keeps making fun of me! **Me: **Really? **Anderson: **Tee hee! **Me:** Who let you out? **Charlie and Anderson: **Uh…you did? **Me: **Ri-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ight, uh huh. **Anderson: **Why did you stick me with the dead dude's name? **Me:** Why are you out of your cage? **Anderson: **Um…picked the lock? **Me:** Who else got out? **Charlie: **All of us! **Me: **Great, just great. I have to go do character wrangling now, excuse me.


	9. The Dead Poets and Poetesses

**Me:** Ok, I have to tell you all of my characters have escaped into my house and the boys are driving me insane. **The Guys: **Are not! **Me:** Uh, yeah you are. You just cleared out an entire fridge full of food and my mom just went shopping! **Anderson: **We were hungry, it wasn't like you were going to feed us. **Danny: **Yeah, you kept us in your closet! **Geoff: **It was really small in there. **Sean:** And cramped. **Sabrina: **While we're on the topic, which one of you was necking me? **Danny: **((cough)) Me. **Sabrina: **Damn, you're good- **Geoff, Rob, Anderson, Charlie, Sean and Me: **TOO MUCH INFORMATION! **Danny and Sabrina: **Party poopers. **Me:** Uh huh, I don't think so guys, my parents are already pissed enough that you're here, let's not get in more trouble, ok? **Charlie: **Where's your sketchbook? I'm bored. **Me: **I'll get it for you in a second, just wait for me to post the chapter.

"No!" said Sabrina as we moved into the finally finished girl's dormitories. I set my bags down on one of the beds. "Yes." I told her.

"No way, you got _the_ book?" I was telling her about the book I had lifted. The dorms had been finished a day ahead of schedule, so the parents were hanging around and helping their kids get rearranged. We had had the fortune of getting assigned a room together. The boys of my former dorm didn't look all that sorry to see me go as I packed up. Anderson and crew hung ominously in the doorway. I said nothing to them about our deal as I dug my possessions from their spots and moved them out. Theo had wanted to come to see the campus and meet my 'friends', what he'd really done was made everyone want to pull their hair out. The teachers took one look at him and shuddered. I cheerfully told a few of them he would be attending as a freshman and some of them looked like they would have rather have a dragon in their class than Theo. I had the book safely in my suitcase, I hadn't mentioned it to the others yet. But I had it and they would find out at dinner. So, back to talking to Sabrina.

"Yes, I got the book and when we have the first meeting, you're coming." I told her. "Me?" she squeaked.

"Yes," I said, "You are coming whether you like it or not. I refuse to be the only female."

Sabs shook her curly copper head and pushed her glasses back up her nose. My dad was still around here somewhere. I could see the Prix, so I knew he hadn't left. Part of the reason I wasn't telling anyone other than Sabs that I had the book. It was hot item, and I wasn't in the mood to be caught. I was unpacking my things and spreading them around the new smelling room. It was slightly more modern than my previous one and definitely more comfortable. The contractor had put in carpeting as a freebie for messing up. Of course, this meant I had the chore of vacuuming, but no more cold feet in the morning!

There was a clattering in the hallway and my dad came into view with Sabs' father in tow. How do I know? It was the general nerd look, and glasses. Dad had my flute case in hand. I grabbed it, feeling stupid for forgetting it in the car in the first place, after all, my flute was my baby. Introductions were made. Steven Meeks passed onto his daughter a distinct nerdy look and frizzy copper hair, although he didn't have much left. I knew that put my dad in good spirits. The ladies man he once was would go through shock if he knew that his hair line was receding. Sabrina's twin brother and sister had met Theo and they were running around our room at an astonishing pace. Kyle and Lola were only seven, but they kept up with Theo. Sabs and I grabbed our siblings and made them stand. Both fathers were laughing hard.

"Oh be quiet!" I said to my father as I handed the little demon off to him.

"Oh, Lottie, that was just to funny!"

"My name is CHARLIE, not Lottie, CHARLIE."

"Well, we certainly know which side of the family she gets that from." Mr. Meeks commented to Dad.

"Yep, she's a lot like me."

"I'm standing right here." I reminded them.

"Oo, there's a boy in the hallway, I thought this was a girl's room."

"It is." I said peeking out into the hallway. Anderson was leaning against a wall with a smile that only broadened as I caught his eye.

"I think I'm going to go know." Meeks said, oblivious to anything but the squirming twins.

"I'll call soon!" Sabs yelled after him as he vanished down the hall.

"Bye Charlie." Dad said rumpling my hair. He took a glance at Neil before he dragged Theo off. My brother's parting words were, "No kissing LOTTIE!"

"You're not allowed in here!" I hissed at Anderson. He grinned cockily. "Out!" I said. I went to shut the door, but he put his foot in the frame and stopped it. Pushing it back open he leaned in. "Did you get it?"

"Of course." I ceded. "Now get lost before we're both up to our eyeballs in trouble." He quirked an eyebrow. I lifted my foot a little. "Don't make me use this, ask Rob." He moved his foot and moved off. I shut the door and found that it had no lock to keep out unwanted persons. Sabs and I talked about everything we possibly could until the bells rang for dinner. We struggled at high speed into our uniforms and ran down the corridor with a few other girls. I came to a magnificent sliding stop in the dining hall on the freshly waxed floors. My heavy shoes left black skid marks. I was reprimanded firmly by the Trig teacher, an older chap by the name of Foster. As soon as his back was turned, I gave him the finger. The whole hall was sent into laughter and no one could figure out why.

As I ate my way through a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, I felt a rustling around my feet. Piqued, I looked under the table and nearly killed Sean and Geoff. They were on their hands and knees beneath our feet and looking up skirts. They grinned sheepishly at me as I threatened them.

"Neil says tonight at one, the main hall." Whispered Sean. "We're going out." Added Geoff. I rolled my eyes and sent them on their way back to their seats saying if they didn't go directly there I would expose them. I had a feeling that a paddle was still stored in the headmaster's office for such occasions.

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I was awake at twelve. An hour earlier, but it was a good thing because very foolishly I hadn't left my flashlight out and it took me fifteens minute to find it. I needed twenty to prize Sabrina from her bed, get dressed and hide the book on my person. I pulled my hood low over my face and tried to feel mysterious. I couldn't do it. Sabs and I eased open the door and crept out into the murky hallways. It took us ten minutes of being lost before we found the main hall. Five forms melted out of the shadow. I could make out Anderson as he was tallest. I switched my light on and flashed it over the book. Anderson nodded.

Rob led us over the rough terrain to the cave. Swift and silent as shadows we were. The beams of flashlights bounced and swerved madly as their beholders moved. I switched mine off and ran ahead. I hid behind a crevice in the rocks of the cave. When Rob and the others came into view, I leapt out and shone my light in my face. "Arg! I'm a Dead Poetess!" I said in a spooky voice.

"Dead _Poetess_?" some on asked.

"Well, duh." I answered. "I'm not a guy am I? Therefore I am a poet_ess_." I told them in a logical tone. I ducked into the cave with the other six behind me. The seven flashlight illuminated the cave and played over the relics of a bygone Society. I found myself a spot on an outward jutting rock and took out the book. I flipped to the front where the opening message was written. Sabs, who was sitting next to me and very afraid, I could tell, looked over to see what I was reading. She raised her eyebrows at the bold poem. I waited until the rest of the boys had found a place to sit and were relatively comfy. Then I started up.

"We are here to re-reconvene the Dead Poets Society. With the addition of a few Dead Poet_esses_." I added. "Meetings will be conducted by myself and the other new members present." The others nodded in response; Sab's glasses caught the light and glinted sending sparkles everywhere. I took a deep breath and plunged. "I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life."

**Me: **There we go! **Charlie:** Why were Geoff and Sean under the table? **Me: **It was their idea…** Sean and Geoff: **Yeah Charlie, you weren't supposed to kick us on that first take. **Charlie: **Well, what the hell else was I supposed to do? **Anderson: **I don't know, maybe just gone with something for a change? **Rob:** Yeah, do you have to argue about everything? **Charlie:** Shut up, this chapter had way too much toilet humor in it. **Me: **Charlie! See the Ben and Jerry's? Good girl, fetch! ((tosses the ice cream)) **Rob: **Is that all it really takes to keep her happy? **Me: **Yup. Hey, where are Sabs and Danny? ((she gets up from her computer and checks the closet. They are making out)) **Anderson, Charlie, Rob, Geoff and Me: **IT BURNS! **Sean: **Woo hoo! **Me: **Danny, step away from the nerd! **Sabrina:** Hey! **Me:** I need to go sort out some problems… **Rob: **No freaking kidding. **Me:** Oh shut up, think about what I can make you do. **Rob: **I'd rather not, thank you very much. **Me: **Then shut it. And to all who read, there will be chapters 10 and 11 posted on Saturday and Sunday of this weekend!


	10. First Taste

DOUBLE DIGITS! I'm a very happy girl! **Charlie: **We're out in the woods in the middle of the night reading poetry? **Me: **Yup. **Anderson: **Are we going to do anything illegal? **Me: **Not really, just sneaking off from school. **Danny: **Is that it? **Me: **Well, yeah, that's how the movie worked…** Sean, Charlie, Danny, Rob, Anderson, Geoff and Sabrina: **What movie? **Me: **Um, nothing, I meant the story you all told me about your parents… a he he he he he…

"He clasps the crag with crooked hands;  
Close to the sun in lonely lands,  
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;  
He watches from his mountain walls,  
And like a thunderbolt he falls." Sean was holding his flashlight close to the book to read 'The Eagle' as we passed the book around to take turns reading from it. Sabs had read 'The Sky Is Low' by Emily Dickinson, Anderson had read 'The Bells' in a deep commanding voice that sent shivers down your spine, Robert had opted for 'The Seven Ages of Man' of Shakespeare and had delivered it in a quirky tone that had sent everyone into laughter, Geoff was now picking out one of the pieces of paper that had been carefully stored within the pages of Verse. He was now reading it aloud in a manner of confusion.

"I have been but inspired  
I have naught but what desired  
Truths and convictions  
I tire of others dictions  
But have what is free  
That is to be

Not of others whim or as they bade  
I have planted my garden with my spade  
I take this dream of thine  
And make it mine  
I make me  
That is to be." Geoff paused. "What the hell were they smoking when they wrote this? I can't quite make the signature out, guess we'll never know." He said folding the paper up and stowing it once more in Verse. He passed the book off to Danny, who took another loose page from the book. He scanned it, sniggered and then began to read.

"What makes me, me?  
give me a good look,  
you'll see

I have looks  
The daring  
Screw school books

On this prison  
For only a year more  
I'll never miss ya Hell-ton. By Charles Dalton." Danny hooted waving the paper around for me to see. I snatched it away and looked for the signature. Yep, sure enough, there was my fathers bold scribble at the bottom, and a drawing of breasts. I raised my eyebrows, the man had been a touch of a pervert. I handed it back to Danny who folded it and put it away. The book was handed back to me as we'd each gone around once. I flipped through the pages absent-mindedly. There was a quiver of a bell that struck twice, signaling that it was two in the morning. We all agreed that we'd best get back to the school and at least get a few hours sleep. So off through the wood we went. When we got to the grounds, Sabs and I split off from the boys and crept back to our dorms.

When Sabs and I got to our room I felt like cheering with pleasure. God, I was just happy. So happy, elated and jubilant. I was me, I was something; I was defying authority and knew I would very well be thrown out of the school if anyone found out. Whistling a wandering tune, I got my flute out of its case and put it together. My fingers slid over the cool, sleek metal as I positioned my fingers on it. I began a wild wandering song with keen and longing notes. I thought of wild places, hills of green and woods of emerald. Hey, a girl is entitled to do what she wants to, even if it's outright weird.

Sabs had shoved her pillow firmly over her head in attempt to tune out my erratic music. I made the flute trill and the notes dance. I gave it a moment to sink in; then I hit the best high note I'd ever accomplished. I also woke up nearly the entire school. It took me a millisecond to realize what was up. I stowed my flute and dove into bed before you could say 'flute'. I pretended to sleep as teachers investigated the noise.

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The next morning I was glad to learn I wasn't the only musician on the campus; there were several that could share the blame for the disturbances of the previous night, so I was off the hook. Sabs went ahead of me to breakfast and related the tale to the others before grace. They all stifled silent laughter as I perused casually into the hall as the headmaster, a Mr. Harding, began grace. I began to pile my plate with the disgusting food. It was all there was to eat. Not many of us could get off of the grounds to get real food very often.

I shoveled down a plate of what looked to be eggs, toast and sausages. They didn't allow us coffee, we got orange juice. Annette down the way had a compact out and was obnoxiously putting her make up on. She was most of the girl's antithesis. She actually found a way not to look tired or like she had ever exerted herself at all. In fact, there was good reason for that. She had nearly every boy in the school drooling over her; and she loved it. Unlike most of us she had the build for it. Medium height with thick blonde hair, long legs, slim figure and big blue eyes. She also never ate. I couldn't do that, ever. I wasn't fat, but I was solid with shoulders a touch broad for a girl. And I generally behaved like a tomboy. Besides the fact I am nothing along the line of attractive. I have near elbow length dark brown hair, pale skin and steely blue eyes. I didn't say I was ugly, I just said I wasn't all that attractive.

After breakfast I had Chem., and that was dull. We dragged on through chemical composition, I think. I don't know. I was itching to get out of the school. French was actually tolerable. From detention I was ahead of everyone else and was gliding through the class. "C'est la vie! C'est la vie!" I began chanting to myself. (A/N: This is the life) I was in a lyrical mood as I marched off to Trig. But good moods are meant to be ruined by miserable teachers. I stormed off to Fine Arts with a scowl and four, four, pages of Trig homework. Sabrina was poking at her water lilies, as I was ready to rip mine to shreds. I noticed a certain lack of a teacher, so got out a clean piece of paper. You know, the big stuff that only the art department has. I swirled my pencil around a few time making big loops before I settled into a real drawing.

I was out of it. This whole midnight run had left me feeling a little stir-crazy if you will. I drew the moon over the sea. There were faces in the water, made from the foam and froth. Specters with ghastly expressions; I was having my self a good time.

"That is very good Charlie." A voice said over my shoulder; and it was too old to be a student and it definitely wasn't Sabrina Meeks. "Aw, shit!" I hissed. I wasn't doing my assignment and there was a teacher behind me. I swung around wildly; it was O'Ryan. He was smiling. "I am going to pretend I didn't hear that." He said mildly. I nodded, swallowing hard with relief. O'Ryan was subbing the class for the normal teacher. I think he was better too, oddly enough. I think he really knew nothing about art and therefore was much more open-minded than Mr. Taylor. Well, I think he was good; he actually helped Sabs finished those goddamn lilies. I think he's going to be my favorite sub.

History was mind numbing. That and I had been out until three in the morning the previous evening. I was trying to clear my head as Murrieta droned through the Civil War. Donelly was all bitch. She was driving us forth with an iron fist in English. I could see Anderson getting fidgety in the back. When the bell rang and I was allowed to gym class, I ran for it. We were finally getting to use the facilities that were indoors. Coach Allen was going to attempt to teach two classes at once how to fence. Some girls were uneasy with the idea; some guys were too eager for a go at it; I got the foil in my hand and you should have pitied the person who got stuck with me. I think even the Coach was scared at the smile I gave, so he put me with very large Anderson.

Coach spent the next hour yelling at all of the pairs, ok, well, mostly at me. Some of the girls needed to do more, some of the boys needed to stab less and parry more, I needed to stop trying to jump Neil Anderson and give the poor boy enough time to react. I think I could see the hair on his head turning gray and falling out as I stabbed at Anderson. When I waltzed off to the shower he sagged with relief. If I didn't know better, I would think that the Coach didn't like me. Sabrina in the showers already when I arrived; in stalls next to each other we talked about the perks of gym class. Yes, it was a good way to get exercise; no, you shouldn't use it to vent your anger or to try to kill anyone.

I went over to boys block when I knew they were done and in clothes. All the same, they got extremely uncomfortable when I leant against the wall. I whistled to call to my friends. They extricated themselves from the crowd with red faces. To all of ones who couldn't stop staring, I gave them the finger to remember me by. I've been doing that a lot lately, maybe too much. I'd have to cut back on it. Neil, Rob, Geoff, Sean and Danny were ready to kill me. But my good mood was back. I merely caught Sean and Danny in head locks (one on each side) and demanded to know when we were going out again. Anderson rolled his eyes and said Friday, calm down it's only Monday, when I tightened to choke hold on Sean and Danny. I let them go and walked to dinner with Sabs and the guys. The other girls would stare. I found out why; to them those were some of the 'hottest' guys in the place. Yeah right.

**Danny, Sean, Geoff, Anderson and Rob: **We're hot? **Me: **Well no shit Sherlocks. I created ya, so ya must be good looking to a degree. **Charlie: **I don't think they look all that good. **Me: **No one asked you. **Sabrina: **((waves at Danny)) Hey ya stud. **Danny: **((smiles and waves back)) Hi! **Me: **Will you ever stop that! **Sabrina and Danny: **May we go use the closet? **Me: **NO! **Sabrina: **I'll give you all the money we owe you for the food. **Me: **No. **Charlie: **Oo, who's Green Day? **Me: **Step away from the music downloads! I don't think you should be listening to that. **Charlie: **I walk this empty street, on the boulevard of broken dreams, where the city sleeps… **Me: **Shut that off! **Geoff: **How do you use this Play Station 2? **Sean: **And how do you play Return of the King? **Anderson: **Oo, who's Pippin? **Me: **That's my journal! **Danny: **Who's Sam and why are they calling? **Me: **((picks up her phone)) No, he's a friend, we are certainly NOT doing that…no, don't tell anyone, Sam, Sam, SAM! ((puts down the phone)) Danny YOU ARE A DEAD MAN! **Danny: **Uh oh. **Me: **RAR! ((starts to chase Danny)) **Charlie: **Read between the lines, what's knocked up and everything's all right, check my vital signs, and no I'm still alive and I walk alone… **Me: **((is dragging Danny by his ear)) My god, it's like taking care of a bunch of toddlers, this lot. **Danny: **Ow, ow, ow, ow! **Me: **Now, before the others catch wind of what I'm doing…would anyone like to see any pairings in the Society? My friends have suggested Charlie/Anderson, Charlie/Rob, Sabrina/Danny, Sabrina/Sean, Sabrina/Anderson and Charlie/Danny. One even mentioned slash, which I'm not comfortable writing. I don't have anything against it; I'm just not comfortable writing it. I mean, I can appreciate a good slash story, but I can't write it. So, give me some votes or make up different pairs. I don't have an issue with new characters…saves me the trouble of thinking them up myself! I won't doing an romantic stuff until the senior year. Ok? Ok!


	11. Sur La Biblioteque

**Me: **I have another chapter for you! **Anderson: **Yeah, yeah, whatever. **Me: **You know you want to read it. **The Society: **We already know what's going to happen. **Me: **Do you honestly think that? **Charlie: **We filmed it, what the hell could we not know what's going on? **Me:** Oh, you never know…** The Society: **WHAT DID YOU DO? **Me: **Anderson, babe, remember those scenes with the magazines that got dubbed inappropriate by my censors? **Anderson: **Yeah… **Me: **Guess who snuck in part of them for you? **Anderson: **AH! I love you! **The Society and Me: **That was creepy…

"Dream on! Dream on! Dream on!" I was singing to Sean's very, no, extremely illegal eight-track player in the cave. No one was much impressed with my singing, nor the song. Sean, Danny and I were the only ones who like Areosmith, so naturally we were singing at the tops of our lungs. The boy's voices ran a tendency to crack a little which made me laugh hysterically, so it wasn't even as if we were even getting all of the lyrics out. But it was fun! When the song ended Sean stowed the player before Geoff did as he was threatening to do and smash the thing.

"Now that the insufferable noise is over." Anderson shot looks around at us three. "Now may we actually include poetry? Or at least something interesting?"

"I got something!" I said as I whipped out my trusty flute. There was a collective groan. "Shut up!" I said cheerfully as I assembled it. I stood in the middle and bowed to the crowds. "An original piece by Charlie Dalton."

"Running, fleeing, never seeing!" I played a series of high notes in a frantic flurry.

"Cowering, devouring, not being!" I played another trill of highs.

"Je suis alleé à la campagne!" I hit the keys and jilted them so they sounded like birds.

"Fuck the French!" Sneered Anderson. "You know we have to take Latin."

"J'ai vu les lacs, les rivieres, les eaus!" I smoothed out the sound of the flute to sound like water, rippling and dancing.

"I can't be, I can't see!" I hyped the notes again.

"Suffocated in this cit-y!" I was making high notes that would have shattered glass.

"Standing, demanding, I is seeing!" the erratic notes were calming.

"Towering, empowering, BEING!" I finally played a real tune. It was drawn out and low key as I walked around the old fireplace. I leaned in and played in the faces of the group, letting off an earsplitting high when I got to Anderson causing him to jump where he sat and hit his head on the stony wall. I took my seat with raucous laughter in my throat. He threw a rock at me.

"Ok, everyone shut up!" Geoff was demanding attention. "Now, I have a story guaranteed to scare you girls. Now, where I came from, don't you laugh! We have this ghost on the highway, The Phantom of 44. Now, it was a normal night between Rehoboth and Seekonk and there was this lady driving along, right? So it's about ten o'clock at night and as she's driving along, a guy appears right there in the middle of the road, from like nowhere. She slams on the brakes so she doesn't hit him, right? Well, there's no thump or anything, so of course she gets out to investigate. There's no one there, but all of sudden there's this laughing from all around. She gets all freaked out and runs back to her car and floors it out of there. Then the guy appears again out of nowhere. This time, when she thinks she's hit the guy, she doesn't get out, she just sticks her head out the window. There's no laughter or anything this time, so getting all relieved, she drives away. She looks in her rear view mirror and guess what? The guy's in the back seat! She flips out and almost hits a tree, but when she checks again, he's gone. Then-"

"Aw, shut it." Said Danny, who was lighting up one of his precious cigarettes. Sabs had made some whole big joke that no one had got. She had snitched one Dan's smokes (he was not amused), leapt up onto a rock and stroked it calling it 'Precious'. She said it was Danny in a nutshell. No one understood it. "I've heard that one before." The native Rhode Islander said in his lazily drawl. "You Rehoboth hicks wouldn't know a good story if it hit you over the head. Now in Providence, we got some good ones!"

Dan blew a smoke ring and continued. "Now on my street there was this house and it was way haunted. But it wasn't really the entire house, just this one closet. We'd break in from time to time to make new kids sit in it. They never were the same after that, all just sort of scared of old men. But then, when one day me and my friend Allan braved the library, (A memory that still plagues me today), we found out something interesting about that house. Turns out some old guy shot himself right in that closet. Explains a bit, but we would tell that to every new kid and scare the shit out of them! Until this one girl from New Hampshire locked me in the thing. Let me tell you, never a-fucking-gain could you pay me to go in there." Danny finished somewhat poorly.

"That's nothing!" Geoff said indignantly. "Mine was better!"

"Vote." Said Sean. "For Geoff." Sabs, Geoff and Sean.

"For Danny." Anderson, Rob, Danny and I raised our hands.

"Danny's story was better."

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"It's Saturday and we're doing homework, something is not right here!" Anderson exclaimed as we were toting our books to the library. Danny had run off and I was some how mysteriously saddled with his materials. It was just Neil, Rob and I, as we were in the same Chem. class. There was something called a project due soon; now it would help if one of us could remember what it was supposed to be in, but that was what Sabs was for.

"Um, maybe we should do the work because the project if due on MONDAY?" I said.

"Well, we can do it tomorrow can't we?"

"Your work ethic is incredible."

"I know, thanks."

"So why are you still at this school?"

"Same reason as you."

"It's a good school; one of the best in the country?"

"You bet."

"Damn the parental logic!"

"No kidding."

"Chem., Chem., Chem., think Chem.!" Rob reminded us.

"Shut it Overstreet." Were our synonymous thoughts that somehow found their way out of our mouths. In the library, while Rob diligently worked at his homework, I looked at dusty tomes in the back of the room. Anderson was somewhere over the rows, looking for his brother's and, unfortunately, my father's legendary stash of Playboys that were said to be hidden somewhere in here. But that was all they were proving to be; legend. I thought it was strange that though my father had been kicked out of the school, and the entire incident for, had been quieted, he still had left a, er, _lasting_ legacy at the school. Oh well! I had found that some of the teachers, most likely students at the time themselves, remembered my name as well. Anderson, Overstreet and Meeks were given special distinctions as well. But I'm boring you with school life!

So I eventually wandered into the area where to old Annuals were kept. 59-60, 59-60, 59-60, ah ha, here we are. I took my prize off the shelf with a cloud of dust. I coughed and spluttered loudly as I wiped it away. And wouldn't you know what was hidden behind the books. "Anderson, over here." I called to him as I shook my head at the carefully stowed Playboys.

I carried my prize over to the table where Rob was sitting and being a good little boy. I flicked it open; he rankled his nose at the smell. "What's that?"

"Annual." I said flipping to the D's. Dad wasn't there; I didn't expect him to be. But Perry was still there, bedecked and honored like he was a saint. I checked the parents of my friends. Yup; they were all there, all of them not marked for being Dead Poets. I wondered why then was Perry still in there for dying, though the Annual mentioned not _how_ he had died. There was a photo of a crewing team; arms slung over each others shoulders, all grinning widely. I smiled; it was the only photo my dad was in, and all of his other friends. Dad at seventeen stared back at me, as did Rob's father. They looked somewhat alike, but Rob's eyes were blue like Chris's. I know I've already told you about Sabrina, so I guess I should move on to Anderson. I had go to a regular class photo to make the comparison. Young Todd emanated shy and had no distinct lines in his hair, it just looked like something his mother had set upon his head. Anderson had almost the same hair cut, but it wasn't the all the same monotone dark honey color, it was rippled with blond from an obvious summer outdoors. And he wasn't shy, he was like me, never had a self esteem issue in his life. I'm not saying I have a giant ego, by the by.

I shut the Annual and finally started cracking at my Chem. Out of the corner my eye I saw Rob take the book and start looking at it. At the crewing picture he stopped, and I knew he was comparing me to the first Charlie Dalton. Two hours later (oh the pain and torture), we walking back to our dorms. Anderson was working a swagger that he'd attained from two hours of Playboy; and Rob still held the old Annual thinking I didn't know he had it. And that fact was almost adorable, almost.

**Me: **Ya ya! Chapter 11! **Charlie: **Am I that bad at describing things? **Me: **Yeah, you never noticed? **Charlie: **Uh, no. **Rob: **I come off as a stiff. **Me: **You can be. **Rob: **What's that supposed to mean? **Me: **I'm just saying…** Rob: **Neah. **Anderson: **Shut up, you can be a stiff. **Me: **Ha ha! **Danny: **Anyone seen Sabrina? **Rob, Anderson, Geoff, Sean, Charlie and Me: **NO! **Danny: **Jeez, calm down. **Sabrina: **Right here hot stuff, come on! **Rob, Anderson, Geoff, Sean, Charlie and Me: **NOT AGAIN! **Sabrina and Danny: **Aw, just one more go, please? **Me: **No way on Earth. **Rob: **It burns when you do that. **Me: **Ok, let's move on. The two ghost stories that I used are actually real ones. Geoff says he lives in Rehoboth MA (as do I) and the notorious Phantom of Rt. 44 is local legend. Most of the people in the town have seen him, and it's on the creepy side. There are main and defining facts to the story that Geoff left out- **Geoff: **Oh, shut up. And stop being such a perfectionist. **Me:** Like the fact the Phantom is always described as a red headed man wearing a red plaid shirt with white eyes. I have the entire version of the 44 Phantom by Charles 'Chip' Robinson on file for those of you who would like the full thing and multiple accounts. Danny's story is true as well. **Danny: **See! I told you it was true and way better! **Me:** I have the full story on file, (also authored by Chip Robinson) it's titled 'Don't Look In the Closet'. For these stories and more, see The New England Ghost Files, Mr. Robinson again. This book is a wonderful compilation of the best pee-your-pants ghost stories you've ever heard, along with illustrations that will scare you more. **Charlie: **((looking in the book)) I don't think they're that scary…SHIT! Ok, ok, that one is CREEPY! That looks so wrong. **Me: **Which one…oh yeah, that's the one for 'Don't Look In The Closet'.


	12. Law and Order Among Poets

**Me: **I have, of course, another chapter for you all out there. **Charlie: **We could use some reviews. **Anderson: **Cough, cough. **Rob: **Hint, hint. **Me: **That's right, we needs reviewses, yes we does! **Charlie: **Will you stop that, the Gollum impression is freaking creepy. **Sabrina: **FRODO LIVES! **Me: **YA! FRODO LIVES! **The Society: **Ringers are insane much. **Sabrina and Me: **Get used to it! **Charlie: **We don't want to, you need to tone down the Lord of the Rings action. You know? **Sabrina: **GAH! If anything I need more Frodo in my life. **Danny: **What about me! **Me: **I love Pippin… **Sean: **You're drooling again. **Me: **Get over it dude.

"NARG!" I groaned as I put the finishing touches on my Chem. paper (Sabs helping, of course). She shook her head. "You shouldn't have left this to so late." She said admonishingly. I stuck out my tongue at her. "We can't all be genius' like some people I could mention."

"All that flattery isn't going to get you anywhere, Charlie Dalton, and you know it." Sabrina countered. I stretched in my chair at my desk and yawned. "It must get me somewhere if you're helping me."

"Oh shut up." Sabs said throwing her pillow at me. I laughed and caught it. We were burning the midnight oil on Saturday. Our only hope was that we didn't caught. The only good things about the weekends were that you could stay up as late as you wanted (so long as it as ten o'clock) and sleep in (so long as it was eight in the morning). I stowed my paper in a draw and loosened my scarf. The Welton officials weren't exactly free with the heat and as December loomed in the near future, they certainly weren't getting any better. Shivering I quickly pulled off my sweatshirt and regular shirt and slipped into my flannel pajamas.

"All the money our parents pay to send us here you would think they'd be able to afford heating to ensure we don't freeze to death during the night." I said through gritted teeth as I shook my hair out of its ponytail. Sabs looked up from her comfortable position on her bed. "Do you need more blankets?"

I had only a wafer thin sheet, an equally thin blanket and a comforter that looked like it'd been here since 1859. "Yes." I muttered, envying Sabrina's smart thinking over break; she'd brought back a mountain of extras. She reached beneath her bed and hauled out a spare suitcase. Popping the locks, she revealed a hidden wealth of warmth. "Take what you want."

"You're a savior, Sabs Meeks." I thanked her as I pulled more blankets onto my bed. "I think for the first time in weeks I'll be able to sleep without socks on." She rolled her eyes and settled in to her bed, tired. I, however, began writing a fairly long letter home. I heard Sabs stirring.

"Dalton. Lights. Off."

"Yes ma'am." I said as I dimmed the room. I needed to get some sleep as well.

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Breakfast the next morning was memorable. No, not Anderson complaining that he had to do his whole Chem. paper in one day, but rather Sean and Danny trying to discuss the Society amidst the entire populous of the school.

"So when do we have the next meeting?" Danny asked thickly through his toast.

"DANNY!" almost all of us within earshot immediately hissed at him.

"What?" he questioned, sounding offended. "I was only asking-

"Not here." Geoff silenced him.

"Well why not?" Sean piped up.

"Too dangerous." Rob and I reminded him.

"Why is this such a big deal?" Danny shot at us.

"Why?" Those of us descended from the older Society exclaimed in an exasperated tone.

"Don't you remember what happened last time, you moron?" Anderson asked in an annoyed tone.

"Well of course." Dan said. "But who said they're going to remember any of it?"

"HOW COULD THEY NOT!" The rest of us yelled at him. Danny slammed down his napkin and got up. He stalked off in miffed silence. I turned back to my breakfast. I poked at my eggs tentatively as I worried. Danny and Sean could very well threaten to blow our cover, a cover if blown could mean big trouble. Silence descended on our section of the Hall as everyone of the Society retreated to quiet thought. Anderson had stopped eating and was wringing his napkin. When we were let out to go about our business, he called an emergency meeting in one of the attics that resided over the boys dorms. It was bone chillingly cold in the attic as it had retained the freeze of the previous night. I pulled my Welton sweatshirt tight to my body. Geoff had been sent to find Danny, in the meantime, we waited.

Sabs and I were sitting close together trying to keep each other warm. Rob was lounging on a window sill somehow, Sean was messing with a chest of old memorabilia and Anderson was rubbing his hands together, occasionally burying his head in them. There was a clumping on the stairs; Geoff ushered Danny in with a cloud of smoke from the cigarette Danny had already lit. Dan let the noxious fumes seep out through his teeth as he took a seat, Geoff fanned the air furiously with a hand.

"What's up your ass, Neil? I thought you wanted to piss off Harding." Danny teased from his corner. "Thought you were in this to do something."

"There is a line as to how much we can do, it won't make things any easier getting caught. No one, and I mean no one, other than us are to know what we're doing." Anderson responded in a taught voice.

"But we're not doing anything!" argued Dan. "All we are is a bunch of people that sneak out to read _poetry_ in a cave!"

"We have to figure things out first," yelled Neil, "We can't just dive into these things foolishly, we need to organize first. Make sure things are secure-

"Wait until the hiding is opportune? You're a fucking coward. All of you!"

I stood and my hands curled into fists. "We are not, Daniel, we're being smart. It'll be our asses that kicked the hell out of here if this gets blown of the water." I snarled, "You are in and quiet, or you are out and forget everything."

"What's it to you Dalton?" Danny sneered. I lunged Sabs and Rob grabbed me before I gave him his what for.

"Chill Charlie." Sabs said as I took my seat once more next to her. Danny looked at me with slight fear; I could see it flickering in the depths of his eyes.

"If you spill, we all go." Rob said calmly to Dan. "You can't hand one of us over without handing yourself over as well. Are you in or are you out?"

Danny finished his cigarette and crushed it on the dusty wood flooring. With a sigh, he ran his hands through his hair and paced a few steps. "I'm in, I'm in. All right?"

"You mean you're not going to turn us in or betray the Society in any way, shape or form?" Anderson queried.

"Yeah, yeah." Dan said easily. "Forget about this whole thing."

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But Sabs and I couldn't just drop the matter like that. Neither could Rob or Neil, so we came up with a great idea. Rules.

No, not rules about writing or whatever, that would be blasphemy, but rather a code of conduct. Like when you were in, what you could and couldn't do in order to keep the Society safe. Here's the final copy we came up with:

1. Never discuss the Society unless the situation is secured and you are among Society members.

2. If you are caught, no matter how much they torture you, you do not hand over any of your fellow Dead Poets or Poetesses.

3. If your fellow member needed help with grades (something that must be kept up as parents would certainly take interest if they dropped) and you were capable of helping them, you did.

4. The current initiates present were not to do anything in the name of the club without the club's approval to keep us secret.

5. There was no inviting new members once the club was started, the more people who knew would put the Society in jeopardy of an information leak.

So there it is, the Dead Poets Code of Conduct. It was signed by all of the members of

the Society that were initiated in the fall of 1983. That would include Robert Overstreet, Sean Blanc, Sabrina Meeks, Geoffrey Masters, Neil Anderson, Charlotte Dalton, and, though he paused before he signed, Daniel Mc Geough.

**Anderson: **I would like to say that those rules were my idea. **Me: **Ah, no, they weren't, I made them up. **Anderson: **No, I did! **Me: **Does everyone want to find out who Neil has a crush on? **Anderson: **OH NO! You wouldn't. **Me: **I would. **Anderson: **Uh, FINE they were your idea. Bitch. **Danny: **Why is my last name so funky? **Me: **Because it's an Irish name. **Danny: **What? **Me: **Danny is a very Irish name, so I thought it appropriate to give you an Irish surname, Mc Geough. **Sean: **What's with my name? **Me: **It's French for 'white'. **Sean: **Why? **Me: **I dunno, seemed like a good idea. **Charlie: **Do we need to start up the whole name issue again? **Me: **Oh, hell no. **Charlie: **Then don't make me. **Me: **Then stay away from the music down loads. **Charlie: **But I NEED Green Day! **Me: **My point exactly. **Charlie: **Grr. **Me: **Whatever. Now as a serious note- **Anderson: **Ha! **Me: **What? **Anderson: **Serious, ha! **Me: **Er, whatever. Anyway, on a serious note, I'm trying to keep some of the movie's aspects on while improving them. I still have the seven main Poets with the addition, of course, of the girls. The fact that the story is set in the future, for the time frame, makes more sense to me that girls are admitted. Call it picky if you would like. I'm trying hard to keep things along the lines of the movie, very hard. The meetings are obviously a little different and the story obviously longer as it will cover both junior and senior years at Welton. I already have plans and outlines for a short story for the summer between leaving Welton and college. But it's not in the near future at all, I have to finish this one first! MoRe CoUpLeS vOtEs PlEaSe!


	13. Poetry is the word, is the word

**Everyone: **Chapter 13! Dun dun dun! **Me: **Yes, the thirteenth chapter, we had a fun time writing it. Yes I said 'we', they are now muscling in on the writing, even thought they're _poets_! **The Society: **NEAH! **Me: **Whatever, did anyone notice I'm updating on a week day! Good Lord! What happened? And who knew Rob could cook? He made this awesome home made mac and cheese. Lord, it's good! **Charlie: **I'll second that! **Danny: **Me too! **Rob: **Guys, please don't tell anyone my mom made me take cooking classes. **Me: **Too late! Chris's boy is gonna be prime boyfriend material, you do know most women would kill for a guy who can cook, right? **Rob: **WAH! **Me: **Oh, suck it up. **Mom: **Who made the mess in the kitchen? **Me: **You did clean up, didn't you Rob? **Rob:** No… **Mom: **What the hell, why is there CHEESE on the CEILING! **Me: **Did you let my brother help! **Rob: **Yes…

Now I have to speed time forward a few weeks for our story to continue. It was now but with a week left to Christmas that we had ('we' meaning about every girl in the school) managed to bend the administration to let us out into the town to do some badly needed Christmas shopping. With teachers already attempting to cram for mid terms and trying to keep us on schedule otherwise, I don't have much to relate to you for not much of it constitutes importance. All that really happened was Geoff caught some bug and spent a day vomiting, Anderson and Sean received detentions, and I got a B on that Chem. paper.

So, here we are but a week to Christmas. As teachers attempted to keep up with us, it became apparent how many of the mentioned girls had acquired boyfriends within the school or had them at home. I was not only asked by a total of fourteen different girls if I thought something was a good gift idea for their guy, but I was also queried as to what I was getting mine. This led to the poor girl who had asked getting her head bitten off promptly by me. Sabs was forced to pull me back, she also had to inquire as to why the comment had set me off so. I clammed up quickly.

Sabs and I preferred to stay away from the main crowd as we hustled around the mall with our time limit on our heels. We had an hour and a half left to find something for everyone on our list. I'd already saved us the time of waiting in the gift wrap line by simply purchasing the supplies to do so at the CVS. We were going over who our list consisted of as we neared a department store. Sabrina had her twin siblings, her father, her mother, and a few of her friends. I had Mom, Dad, Theo and my grandparents. And myself, I always get myself something. Sabrina disapproved of this, of course, but nonetheless accepted it as just a 'Charlie thing' as she called all of my other interesting traits.

She also asked if we should get them, you know who I mean, something. I snorted derisively, asking her what on earth we could possibly get them.

"You should at least know what Rob would like," Sabs said, "He was your roommate."

"That's not my fault!" I commented. "Now, let's do the siblings."

We grabbed a Barbie and some Matchbox Cars for Lola and Kyle. Theo was tougher, but I just got him one of those kits with the car that looks real when you finish. I know he doesn't come off as a person with enough patience for one of those, but he enjoys them so easy is as easy does. Next were our mothers. Sabs and I just stopped at the homemade candies store and prayed that it wouldn't be found out that they had both received the same thing: a pound of chocolates. For my dad, it was a quick stop at the book store for a new tome on musical theory whilst Sabrina perused the electronics store across the way for her own. For my grandparents, I found my grandfather something meant for golfing, I couldn't quite understand what kind of scope it was, for grandma, a new sweater on sale at the Macy's. Sabs had picked up some trinkets along the way for her friends. I had made Kelly's gift months in advance, so I was safe. But still we were once again presented with that question; should we get something for our fellow Society members?

With forty five minutes left, we found ourselves at a music store. Our previous purchases in bags we walked in to see if there was anything that might work. I found something perfect that we would all enjoy. There was huge box of eight track tapes on clearance. A dollar apiece, an opportunity not to be missed. Sabrina and I pooled our money on the spot, and having still fifteen dollars left between us, we bought ten dollars worth, not really checking to see what the titles were. The remaining five dollars were spent on cheeseburgers and fries, a well deserved meal of real food before heading back.

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I was wrapping things that night (it had been a Saturday) when there was a tapping on the door. I exchanged glances with Sabrina, wondering who it could possibly be. I cracked the door open slightly and let some of the light seep out into the hall. Anderson's face appeared in the thin solid slip of light. I rolled my eyes and opened the door all of the way.

"What?" I asked.

"We're having a meeting in two hours." He said in an infuriating tone. I don't know how he pulled off, but I'm sure you've met someone who can get under you skin with just a word. I slapped his shoulder and sent him on his way before he was caught. I closed the door and went back to putting the paper on the boxes. Sabs was holding a self satisfied smile on her face. I put up with it for a few minutes before I just had to know what put it there.

"You're not going to like what I'm going to say." She answered mysteriously.

"Try me."

"You're so touchy on the whole boyfriend issue because so many of your friends are guys it makes you think differently of them and you can't stand that." she said in rapid fire.

"No way. You're losing your mind over there Meeks. Now help find the eight tracks, I know they're somewhere in this mess." I stated in rebuttal. She still kept that smile, but said nothing as we dug through the chaos of the wrapping paper for the Poet's gift.

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We were definitely going slowly tonight. There was about seven inches of snow on the ground and besides being a hindrance, we were definitely going to be wet later. I had a backpack slung over my shoulder with matches and the tapes in it. Rob, having been a Boy Scout and therefore being terribly good at being prepared, had made a store of dry firewood in the cave so we would be warm later on. Like now.

Snow had seeped through the mouth of the cave and we brought more in with us after we skittered across the semi-frozen stream. I say semi-frozen because Anderson's weight was enough to crack the ice, send him swimming and us trying to pick a clean way across as he had been first. I encountered some mild water at the end, merely soaking my left foot.

Rob, Sean, Geoff and Neil attempted a fire. Rob was the one who actually knew what he was doing, the other three were all too eager to help. Once Overstreet had policed their enthusiasm, there was a nice toasty fire going. Neil had the book for safekeeping this time and read, but of course, the opening statement. After that, we sat in silence, warming up to the fire. Then Sean brought out his eight track player; 'Sweet Emotion' began playing.

"Don't you own anything else?" questioned Danny.

"Nope." Sean answered. "This is it."

"Then shut it off."

Sean began to put it away. I reached for the bag; Sabs nodded.

"Hey guys, in honor of the holiday season, we got you a little something." I said as I brought the tapes out. "You like?"

They positively pounced on them. It was mainly rock and roll, things that pleased the hordes. But one, well, it made Sabs very happy and the rest of us a little wierded out by how happy it made her.

"You bought the soundtrack to Grease, you ninnies." Said Danny tossing one back to Sabs who grabbed it.

"Sweet!" she exclaimed. "That is the best movie in all of HISTORY! Danny is so freaking…hot?" She stumbled for words, finally remembering that there was a Danny among our group. He blinked dumbly at her, not sure whether he should take it as a compliment or ask what the hell she meant. It was Anderson to the rescue, or not.

"I remember that movie! My brother was supposed to take me to see something with him and his girlfriend, I wound up watching the movie, though I hated it, was certainly better than watching them play tonsil touchdown-

There was a mutual chorus of, "TOO MUCH INFORMATION!"

"I know you brother!"

"How old were they?"

"Why did you have to mention that?"

"Oh, shut up. Anyways, the main character's name is Danny, right?"

"Oh," Dan said "Whatever, I cou-

Everyone's thoughts were interrupted by Sabrina putting the soundtrack on and forcing us to put up with it well into the night. The guys picked up 'Greased Lightening' pretty fast, go figure, a song about a car. Sabrina made us all want to put her out of her misery when she was singing 'You're the One That I Want'. I had the good mind to put Steely Dan (lord what was with that name that night!) before we all really did kill her. I settled into a corner and dozed off, as luck would have it. I was awoken by Geoff who graciously helped me to my feet and pointed me towards the exit.

**Charlie: **Dru's in really big trouble at the moment, and so is Rob over the whole cheese on the ceiling thing. Rob let her little brother, Kris, help and he started flicking the sauce at the ceiling. So it's a really big mess in there. **Me: **((runs in, slams the door behind her and locks it)) Oh my god, Rob is DEAD when I get my hands on him! **Charlie: **Well, at least things couldn't get worse…right? **Me: **My mom knows your all here, you don't have to live in the closet anymore. You, Sabs and me are gonna share my room- **Charlie: **Whoop. **Me: **The guys get the basement and you're all going to school with me, which means you need some new duds. **Charlie: **YAY! Can we go to that Hot Topic store you're always raving about? **Me: **I guess…just borrow some of my clothes and we can get going. **Charlie: **((rummages through the dresser and closet, she puts on boot cut Levi's, a black T, Dru's favorite black jacket with all the patches on it and Dru's combat boots)) And we are ready to roll! **Me: **Yeah, we have to go find all the others, you ALL need some new stuff. **Charlie: **Can I get an iPod! **Me: **I don't think so. **Danny: **Let's go! **Me: **Sabs, babe, hurry UP! **Sabrina: **Do you own anything that's not black, red or purple? **Me: **Nope. Hurry up! **Sabrina: **((borrows a purple T and black pants, she sticks to her regular shoes)) Coming! **Rob, Charlie, Geoff, Danny, Sean, Anderson and Me: **About time! **Me: **We know the drill right? **The Society: **We're not related, we're a group of friends, Sabrina and Danny are dating- **Sabrina and Danny: **Hell yeah! **The Society: **And no speaking to anyone from D-R until our first day there. **Me: **Yeah, now let's shop!


	14. B Ball and Towels

Chapter 14 here! I'm so proud for getting this story so far, I'm a one shot sort of girl for the most part. **Charlie:** Hey, why did you stick me with a guy's name? **Me:**We already discussed this…**Charlie:** Well? I need a better reason other than, 'I thought it would be neat-o!'! **Me:** Oh, who asked you anyway? **Charlie:** I asked me! **Rob, Sabrina, Anderson, Sean, Geoff, Danny and Me:** Shut up! We are not going through that is again! **Anderson:** And why did you stick me with the dead guy's name? **Me: **I'm seriously tempted to make you all do something embarrassing. **Charlie:** You already made me walk around in my undies for Rob! It can't get any worse! **Rob: **((smiles and turns red at the memory)) **Charlie: **GAH! **Me:** Do you want me to drop his drawers or something? **Charlie: **Ew, no! Make him drunk, or better yet…make his girlfriend slap him! **Anderson: **((laughs hysterically)) Yeah! Do that! **Me: **Everyone just shut up!

I was in English class for the last day before vacation and I was very ready to fall asleep. We had held a meeting the night before (two in one week was extremely good for us) and I was a little tired to say the least. Donelly was being dull, what a surprise. We were reviewing figures of speech, blah.

"Antithesis- antithesis is the balancing or contrasting of one term against another." Donelly defined. "An example of antithesis would be, "Man proposes, God disposes.", from Shakespeare."

I slumped over, I was told later, and began snoring softly. I knew how I woke up, though. Donelly slammed her ruler against the side of my desk, making a loud bang right beneath my head. I was up quickly enough.

"Miss Dalton," her voice was laced with poison, "Please read the next section."

I looked down at my book, then at the class. Sean mouthed 'apostrophe' at me; I looked at my book again.

"Apostrophe- apostrophe is the addressing of someone or something, usually not present, as though present." I said, looking up at the pissed teacher's face to see if I had the correct definition. I did, because instead of saying something she only looked more pissed. "O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done." Is an example from Whitman." I finished.

"You're a lucky one to avoid detention." Sniffed Donelly. Neil laughed in the background; she pounced on him next. I leaned back, sighed and glued my eyes to the clock. Only fifteen minutes of torture left.

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Seeing as the grounds were all ready covered in snow and that the temperature was slowly easy down into the single digits, gym class was confined to the indoor facilities. This meant, of course, that there was discord among the groups. Now that there weren't just boys, but very few girls in this period, the last class became mixed. So, in all fairness, it meant all of the teams for the basketball we were going to play had to suffer three girls each. Not much, but enough to send the captains into misery. The boy that got stuck with me, a Fredrick Renée, was whining uncontrollably as Anderson laughed at him from the other end of the court. Needless to say I was benched for the moment, Coach Allen had told Fredrick he had to let me play at some point.

It began with fair play, but as Neil's team began scoring more, my own began to shirk the rules. Vince Boll tripped Sean, and a multitude of others and went unnoticed. I tightened my hands on the edge of the bench. I liked to win, yes, but I can't stand a cheater. Fredrick was knocking players, Greg was stealing the ball illegally, and everyone was playing foul in general. And where the hell was the Coach? He was now refereeing a free throw. I got up and strode over to him. I tapped his shoulder.

"Dalton, go sit down." He told me as he watched Neil sink the shot.

"They're cheating." I said. He still was only barely paying attention to me.

"Who?"

"My team."

"And?"

"Don't you care?"

"If I don't see them Dalton, I can't catch them." He said. "Now go sit down."

I stalked off; my 'captain' cornered me.

"Shut up you fink!" he yelled at me.

"The hell, you want to play unfair, you deserve to get your ass burned for it."

"And you should just be happy to on the bench, now move!" Fredrick snarled at me. I caught Neil's eye; he was waiting for me to do something, something interesting. But I was in the middle of class, otherwise I would be making this guy regret trying to order me around. I submitted, I had to, what other choice was there? I was on thin ice with the authorities for giving the finger to a teacher. (Yes, they eventually figured that one out.) But if it was dirty Fredrick wanted to play, then it was dirty I would play.

One of the weak parts of the conversion to female students was the locker rooms and showers. The girls had to walk right past the guys to get to their showers, and there was always the possibility of the guys staring around the bend. Or the other way around as Annette had proved, so the showers were relatively tense. I was toweling off my hair when I had a wonderfully embarrassing idea, for both me and my target. I pulled on my shirt and buttoned it; I fixed my tie and resolved to do it.

As a girl, I was given the benefit of the doubt for maybe a day, then I was just treated mostly like one of the guys. But still, if you invade their showers, they will be incredulous before squealing like pigs in protest. So was the situation as I walked calmly into the boy's showers. My fellow Poets exchanged worried glances as I glided through the clad in nothing but towels around their waist masses. I found Fredrick, and his back was turned to me. I grinned spitefully and grabbed his towel right off him. He shrieked like a girl. Anderson, Rob, Sean, Geoff and Danny nearly collapsed with hysteric laughter. In fact, the entire room was busting a gut. Fredrick, in the meantime, was groping around for another towel. I twisted his and snapped his lily white ass before leaving.

"No one messes with Charlie Dalton!" I yelled.

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Ok, well maybe no one but the administration. I was in Harding's office, awaiting my punishment. It was my last night here before my dad was picking me up. Harding closed the door. He began to pace around me and speaking in a dangerous tone.

"Ms. Dalton, where do you get these ideas? The invasion of privacy, indecent exposure and striking another student. As a young lady, we expect better of you. But you seem not to hold to the couture of a lady, you seem to feel the need to disobey."

I smirked, yup, that was me alright. Mr. Harding sighed and continued his pacing around his office.

"I knew your father, I was a teacher here when he attended. Rebellious, stubborn, irrational and insolent he was, the same doesn't need to apply to you. I've heard that you prefer to be called 'Charlie'."

"Yes sir. That's my name."

"Your name is Charlotte, a girl's name."

"My name is Charlie." I asserted.

"As the issue remains, your punishment for your offences. You will be attending detention in this office for the month of January, every Monday to Friday. No exceptions, you will be here."

"Yes sir." I said through gritted teeth. He nodded at the door dismissing me. As I put my hand on the knob, he spoke once more.

"Any more outbursts Ms. Dalton, and you will be very sorry."

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I knew that the club was going to be in the boy's dorms before dinner and that Sabs would be very scared without me. I snuck in and banged on Anderson's door. He opened it with an approving smile.

"Hail the conquering hero boys!" I announced swaggering in. "I have detention with Harding all through January."

They all sniggered and rolled their eyes. I dropped down on Anderson's bed where Sabs was already comfortable and stretched. Danny was lit up and exhaling breaths of blue gray smoke. We normally wouldn't let him smoke in the building, it often attracted the teachers, but today, some idiot had thrown the window wide open, letting in the eight degree air. I found out very soon that my blazer wasn't enough to keep me warm, so I pulled up the comforter from the bed and wrapped myself in it.

"So…" Sean started. "What did you guys do today?"

**Me:** There we go, chapter 14! **Charlie:** Um, that was a very, very bad thing you made me do.** Me:** No duh, that guy tried to push you around. **Charlie:** But did I have to do that! **Me:** I thought it was funny…** Anderson:** So did I! Do it again! **Me: **Sure, but it'll be your towel going down babe. **Anderson:** Ok, please don't do it again. **Me:** _((waves her hand in front of Rob's eyes))_ Rob, man, are you all right? **Rob: **That was so wrong… **Me:** No it was funny. **Sean: **Yeah! **Me: **Rob, get over it. Hey, I thought you liked to see people in their undies. **Rob:** HELL NO! Not guys at least. **Geoff: **So you didn't mind seeing Charlie like that? We thought you couldn't stand it. **Rob: **Well… **Charlie: **PERVERT! **Me: **Tee hee! I've created chaos! **Charlie: **_((starts chasing Rob))_ RAR! **Rob: **_((runs for his life)) _AHHHHH! Save me! **Me: **You brought it on yourself dude. **Charlie and Rob: **You made us do it! _((they begin to chase her instead)) _**Me: **Oh shit!

PS. 'Hail the conquering hero boys!' belongs to Red Pollard, not me. He said it after winning the Santa Anita Handicap in 1940. The entire phrase is 'Hail the conquering hero boys! I finally got my picture taken!' because he's just come out of the winner's circle where all the cameras are. Just so you know, ok? No, it's not in Seabiscuit the movie, it's in the book, on my favorites. I just love Red. He's Irish, well read, has a twisted sense of humor, has a bit of a god complex and loves his horses. I'm too big to be jockey, but I would love to be one.

**_On a serious note, the story won't be updated for awhile, at least not past chapter 15. My best friend recently had a riding accident…and didn't make it. I love you Kayla K. and will miss you for as long as I walk the Earth. Kayla K. died on February 17, 2005, few days short of her fifteenth birthday. Her twin, Rachel and I are in mourning, and I can't continue writing for a while. I have to go deal with this first. I'm working on a poem for the late Kay, I'll post it with tribute to Kay and a tip of the hat to Neil. I'm Todd for the moment, my mourning Dead Poets are beside me. We are going to make it, but I need some time, please. _**

_**I'll see you – Dru **_

_**PS. This chapter wasn't supposed to be this way, but I didn't have the heart to rewrite it before posting.**_


	15. Spinning the Bottle

**Me: **YAY! I can't believe how long this story had gotten! **Anderson:** Well, if you enjoy making people doing weird things…**Me:** I'll drop your drawers if you keep it up with that insubordinate talk. **Anderson:** You're cruel. **Me:** And you're hot…did I just say that out loud? **Anderson:** GAH! Now I know why you keep threatening to do that, you loser you! **Me:** Dude, you're fictional, chill, and I only fantasize about you on horseback. ((sighs)) And damn it, you look hot. **Anderson:** I'm still scared. **Me:** Uh huh, you do that. **Charlie:** Hum, I'm bored.** Me:** Where did you come from? **Charlie:** You're mind stupid. **Me: **Oh yeah…** Anderson:** Do you fantasize about anyone else? **Me:** Danny Phantom. **Anderson: **Who the hell is that? **Me:** A cartoon character. **Anderson: **You've lost it. **Charlie and Me:** Yup.

So I know what you must be thinking, my god they can't be on vacation again already, right? Well, the first two terms of a school year pass that fast. And yes, we were heading out to vacation again. Today, however, I wasn't standing alone to wait. Everyone was there. I was laughing with Sabs when my car pulled into view. But there was something wrong, very wrong.

Theo was in the car, as was my mother, and everyone was dressed nice. I could smell holiday party. Damn. But they were occupied, so I kept yakking away with my friends. Then Rob had to make a bit of an announcement.

"Uh, my parents are doing this dumb Christmas party thing and you're all invited I guess." He said guiltily.

"Who cares?" said Anderson, "If you've only just told us that now, then obviously we can't go."

"Yeah, about that…"

"What?"

"You're parents were informed about a month ago." There was a collective groan all around. Rob continued. "But it's only you three, Neil, Sabrina and Charlie."

The remaining three were them happy; us other three moaned as the parental transport units pulled up.

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"I am not wearing that!" I told my mother as she presented me with the most embarrassing dress I'd ever seen. "No, absolutely not."

"Charlotte Dalton, put it on. I don't want you walking around in that uniform." Mom said.

"And what is wrong with it?" I asked.

"Charlie, put it on."

"No!"

"Charlie, please, just put the dress on."

"You know what? Sure. As soon as you answer one question. Would you wear that thing?"

No reply.

"I didn't think so." I said. "I'm wearing my uniform."

"Please, Charlie, put on the dress."

"No!"

"CHARLOTTE DALTON, YOU HAVE UNTIL THE COUNT OF TEN TO PUT THE DRESS ON!" Rar…

"No!"

"CHARLOTTE DALTON!"

"NO!" By now I was trying to escape the Overstreet's bathroom. Yeah, that's where we were, is that a problem? Whatever, anyway, back to trying to escape the evil dress. I had bolted out of the bathroom (yes, I know, I'm SO mature), and into the scattered guests that had already arrived. This is Avoiding Tactic #9: Run directly into a crowd of people your mother will be embarrassed in front of if she has to fight with you, and it almost always works. It also help that an unidentified person (Sabrina, as I learned later) made snide remark at the dress my mom was still holding in her hand. And thank the gods, I didn't have to wear it. So I resumed a position at the back of the party as plenty of people I didn't know came in. Neil was the last of my friends to arrive and he was turned out in very neat suit that made him look as if he was about forty. Sabs and I had a very good time of laughing at him, loudly, cruelly and for a long time.

Rob wasn't being a very good host, as he kept to his neighborhood friends, until, that is I bombed in on them. Katie remembered me and she didn't look pleased as she pursed he lips into a tight line. Rob was embarrassed, I was having a good time making him embarrassed, as was Anderson and Sabrina was having a very nice conversation with a equally smart looking boy. Life was good, as was Mrs. Overstreet's cooking and whoever brought that cheesecake, mm! Then, it happened…the gift exchange.

We (meaning all of us in the Society) had figured we were exempt from this holiday ritual having settled the matter earlier. But no, the parents had conspired to make us do this thing. And what an exchange it was. Rob's parents handed him something small and looking like a book to him for me. Sabrina was handed something that also looked to be a book for Anderson. I was given something for Sabrina that appeared to be a book, Anderson, well it was for Rob and you get the idea by now. Our parents and assembled peoples watched as we handed off the parcels. I unwrapped mine in a flurry of wrapping paper.

_Artists of the Era_ was the title. I opened it slowly. It wasn't just art, it was also a poetry volume, for a poem accompanied nearly every illustration. Anderson received a battered copy of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, Rob a copy of _Romeo and Juliet_ and Sabrina a tome of literary terms and some of more modern greats. We all just sort of stared at the stuff, unsure of what to make of it. The dad's were exiting stage right for cigars.

"Let's go." I said to the others. Well, ok, just Sabrina and Anderson, Rob had gone back to his quote "normal" friends. "Let's find out what's up."

"Eavesdropping?" Sabs exclaimed. I exchanged glances with Anderson. Ah, the innocent.

"It's only eavesdropping if you get caught." I told her. "Now let's go."

It wasn't much work to find a hiding spot. We went out of the front door and wound our way around back. The dads, as you may have guessed by now, consisted of Overstreet, Dalton, Anderson and Meeks, were smoking out on the patio. We three huddled up.

"Think they'll get it?" Dad asked.

"I think they will." Mr. Anderson answered. "After all, I know I've told Neil that story about a thousand times."

"Same here." Chorused around the group.

"So, Nuwanda, did 'Charlie' Dalton really think she could slip up the original bad boy of Hellton?"

"I don't know." Dad answered, exhaling smoke. "Maybe, maybe not."

"Well, if that doesn't mess with their heads…"

"No kidding! A copy of Neil's play for the new Neil."

"_Romeo and Juliet _for the kid of the hopeless romantic."

"Modern artists and poets for the rebel."

"The rules for the goody two shoes!" Dad rounded off.

"I resent that. I'll have you know Sabrina is a well rounded and well behaved young lady. Which I hear is less than you can say for your daughter, Nuwanda."

"Well rounded and behaved my _ass_. Well, this is only recent development." Sabrina hissed.

"What can I say? She's too much of me and not enough of Liz."

I snorted with laughter. That was a little way too true. I mean, come on, how many girls you know run around in the middle of the night and have shared a room with a guy? Not too many, I'll bet.

"Too true."

"And what of your son, Todd? Seems he's a hell raiser too."

"Damn straight." Neil whispered in my ear. I elbowed his chest.

"Ah, he's all talk." Mr. Anderson swore.

"I am most certainly not!" Neil said indignantly. "I've gone through with plenty of things-

I elbowed him in the stomach before he blew our cover. Sabrina was wading nervously in the shadows, it disturbed her, this out right invasion of privacy.

"How about Robert, Knox, seems he's a good little boy like his daddy."

"He's good, behaves himself, wants a car, your average kid."

"Average is good enough for you? C'mon the kid's got to be good at something."

"He can play a little bit of baseball…"

"Too damn bad Hellton hasn't got a team."

"Yeah, but he wants to be an accountant."

"An accountant!" Anderson and I nearly fell backwards with laughter. Lord, we knew Rob was a stiff, but this was taking it to a whole new level.

"At sixteen? Yeah right."

Good old Dad, nature's natural contradictor at work.

"Yes, at sixteen, he wants to be an accountant."

"Nah, the Society will fix that."

"We don't even have proof they started it."

"With us telling them stories since day one? Yeah right, they probably started up long before Charlie got her hands on that book."

"You let her have it?"

"Of course."

"I guess we can only pray they don't get caught then."

"Yup."

"That would be a catastrophe if they got caught."

"No kidding."

Then there was silence and they spoke no more. So we crept back into the house, where it was warm. Anderson gave me a light slap upside the head. "Neat job you did there, Charlie. Real secret!"

"Oh shut up, at least no one else needs to know."

"Screw you."

"Thanks buddy."

"At least our cover isn't blown."

"Way to think positive."

"Neah." Anderson stuck out his tongue at me. I laughed at his suit. As the party went on, things loosened up and us private school students were integrated with the local population. And some idiot decided that we should play spin the bottle with parents in plain view. The mistletoe, they pointed out, was only right there and you would have to sneak beneath it. I declined but somehow got sucked in. And guess who I had the luck of getting stuck with.

If you thought Neil Anderson, yeah, you thought right. Rob and his girl had that luck. Sabrina just did it fast and with her eyes closed. The parents up to this time hadn't noticed us. But on my turn, hell, Anderson decided to make thing interesting. God damn hormones. As platonic as our relationship was, he _grabbed_ me and kissed me _hard_ as payback for his suit. There was cheering from the kids. I tried to protest as Anderson tried to play tonsil touchdown, but he wasn't listening. Now, of course, _everyone_ was watching as 'that Anderson child' tried to make out with 'the Dalton girl'. I fixed the situation.

I finally freed myself, hauled off and slapped Anderson across his face to try to wipe that smirk off it. It didn't work and Theo screeching, "OO! Look at Charlie! I thought she was supposed to stay away from the boys!", didn't help either. My Dad was near rolling on the ground with laughter, Mr. Anderson was looking mortified. Needless to say, the game was broken up quickly and I was left pissed. Some of the locals were still making fun of me. They needed their asses kicked I decided. It took Anderson and Rob to keep me from jumping them.

"It wouldn't be a fair fight for them." Anderson had said with a laugh later as he loosed his tie. I was really ready to slap him again. I really was. It was getting late, but it seemed the adults were getting a little rowdy. The youngest kid there was Theo, and he was knocked out on the couch on a sugar crash. So the kids were getting a little out of line as well. Some of them were sipping from the wine when the they thought their parents weren't looking. Of course, there were those who preferred to take a tamer route: Rob and Katie had curled up in front of the fire. Anderson was sneaking drinks, Sabrina was being pressured into a shot, lord, I hoped she wouldn't do it, and I was staying out on the fringe activity. Some lead, some follow, I laugh. Makes sense doesn't it?

So, anyway, what happened was that Anderson and Sabrina wound up (ok, Anderson more than Sabrina), drunk, or slightly so. They were talking loudly.

"Ah, god dis friend, she call 'erself Chah-lie." Anderson slurred. "An' she's a gahl, ain't that funny?"

"Hm yeah! And we all do stuff together, like-

I clamped my hand over Sabrina's mouth, shit, I had no way of knowing what she was going to say. Anderson (I'm less severe about this as he _was_ drunk) was trying to pull me away from Sabs. I kept swatting him away, again and again, as Sabrina began to complain of a hurting head. I moved her off to the quieter regions near the fire place. I fit her in a corner were there wasn't an amorous couple going at it. Ok, fine, making out, there are you happy? Aren't you wondering what Neil did? I know you are, but as I've mentioned earlier, I'm not one to give away the ending and then tell you the rest of the story.

So I was reclining with Sabrina near the warm fire. I was being lulled asleep by the thick warmth and was being deprived of my normally very sharp mind. Neil was wandering in this direction, he reeked of wine and maybe something a little stronger. I yawned and stretched. "You don't look so good." I said to him drowsily.

"I feel like shit." He mumbled.

"That would be your fault." I reminded him.

"I'm sleepy." Anderson was rocking on his feet and his eyes went unfocused. He pitched forward. Neil landed in an unceremonious heap across Sabrina and my laps. She woke with a start and sat up in a flash that sent her glasses sailing from her face. We couldn't move the unconscious Anderson off of us, it didn't help that he'd wrapped his arms around our waists and held them tight. We pushed and strained; Sabrina eventually freed herself. I, on the other hand, was stuck being Anderson's teddy bear. But I was a very unwilling teddy bear. All the same, I fell asleep after about twenty minutes.

At about one in the morning, (what a party!) my dad woke me up and, with Mr. Anderson's help, prized Neil off of me. They wanted to know what we'd been doing, and what the hell do you say to that? Sabs was able to validate my story, as her lap had suffered injury as well. So, my family was heading to the car when my mother said, "Why do you have that lampshade on your head?"

"Huh?" My dad replied, a hand flying up to feel the white lampshade on his head. Theo and I giggled. Dad grinned, spun around and jogged back to the house, tripping wildly as he did. He rang the bell and a confused Knox answered.

"I think this is yours." Charlie said, trying to hand the object over. Knox took it and squinted at it.

"What the hell happened?"

"I dunno."

Mom had gotten into the car already and was fast asleep. And Dad was looking a little too tipsy. I ran up to door and yelled, "Chris!"

Mrs. Overstreet appeared and, praise to the gods, she was sober. "I don't think my parents can drive." I said motioning to the men in their forties playing with a lampshade and my mother knocked out in the car.

"You're going to have to stay here, I guess. Can't you drive?"

"Not at night, and I don't know the highway well enough."

"I think you'd better stay here, go get your Mom and brother."

"Thanks Chris."

"Way I see it, this is saving you lives." She said.

I laughed and went to rouse the rest of my family. I was way too out of it when she led me to a room to crash for the night. I just knew I was handed a blanket and a pillow. Then the rest is history…

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The next morning sun was knifing through neat curtains, reminding me where I was. I sat up, I was on the floor, and blinked. Things and shapes were emerging from the blinding light. It was a fairly spacious room, with an occupied bed and another two bodies on the floor besides my own. Whoa, that was really one helluva party. I tried to find my feet and I tripped on a body. It grunted and uncovered its head. It was Rob.

"Charlie?" he said, sounding perplexed, "What the hell?"

I had woken up everyone else. Sabrina was in the bed, the other body sat up and identified himself as Anderson. We all sort of gaped at each other before Rob asked, "WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING IN MY BEDROOM?" It wasn't going to be easy to explain…

So Rob's mom explained it to him. We were all gathered around the kitchen table and it was becoming more and more apparent that there was no food in the house. What with three teenaged vacuum cleaners hanging around, there was no way on earth we weren't hungry. The parents were only just emerging. Dad and Mr. Overstreet, both sporting lampshades, came from the living room. Mr. Meeks, sans his pants, (I don't want to know, I don't want to know! Happy place, happy place!) came from down the hall. Mr. Anderson, hair sticking straight up and looking bewildered, appeared from the basement. I was still in my rumpled uniform, as was Sabrina and Rob. Anderson had retained his pants, although he was mysteriously missing his shirt and when he did find it, all of the buttons had somehow popped off. There was also a red smear at the collar. He stared at it, dumfounded.

"What did I do…and why can't I remember it?" he cried.

"You, my friend, were very drunk." I said, putting an arm around his shoulders, "Very, very drunk."

**Charlie:** …** Anderson: **Oh my god… **Rob: **Oh this is too funny. **Charlie: **… **Me: **Are you guys ok? **Charlie: **You were supposed to embarrass Rob. **Me: **I did, you all woke up I his bedroom and freaked him out…** Anderson:** That is SO wrong.** Me: **I need to go get my camera, the look on your faces is just too good, a real Kodak moment! ((runs off))** Charlie: **Should we kill her? **Anderson: **I don't think that's legal. **Charlie:** WHO CARES! **Anderson: **OO, touchy aren't we? **Rob: **Tee hee, that was just too funny… **Me: **Ok, hold still. ((snaps photo)) **Charlie: **You are a bad person, a very, very bad person. **Anderson: **Well… **Charlie: **What? **Anderson: **You are actually a very good kisser. **Rob and Me: **HA HA HA! **Charlie: **RAR! **Me: **Ok, ok, ok! We'll lay off already! Has anyone seen Danny and Sabrina? **Charlie, Rob, Anderson, Sean and Geoff: **Have you checked the closet? **Me: **Damn! Not again! ((runs over to the closet and throws it open)) They're not here! **Danny and Sabrina: **We weren't doing anything! **Me: **Yeah right! Like I trust you two! **Danny: **Oh, that hurts. **Me: **The puppy dog look isn't going to help you. **Danny: **((puppy dog look)) **Me: **It's not working! **Danny: **Why not? **Me: **I'm immune to it! Nah, nah! **Anderson: **Oh, hangover… **Me: **Your own damn fault. **Anderson: **Oh shut up already, annoying little bitch. **Me: **What? Say that again, please, so everyone can hear you. **Anderson: **No thanks… **Me: **I need more couples votes! Please, please, please, it's so much easier if I don't have to decide who to pair up, you know?


	16. Christmas Break :: Part One

**Me: **Chapter Sixteen! That's how old my characters are! But they do have birthdays you know. Sound 'em off guys! **Charlie: **April 21st! **Sabrina: **October 19th! **Anderson: **December 17th! **Rob: **June 14th! **Danny: **November 2nd! **Geoff: **July 10th! **Sean: **September 4th! **Me: **April 30th! So there we are, everyone has a birthday because I'm out there and there will be celebrations for them! Yay! **Charlie: **Another party? We're still recuperating from the last one. **Anderson: **Hangover… **Everyone: **Your fault! **Me: **I told you that before stupid. **Anderson: **Hangover… **Charlie: **Ugh, he hasn't stopped saying that yet, it's getting old.

So yes, here I was after one, um, interesting party, on my way home. The mothers, (mine and Rob's) had run to the supermarket and made a massive breakfast for the starving peoples of the household. I was still dazed and confused, after all it had been one heck of a night, and after waking up in Rob's bedroom, being Anderson's teddy bear and Sabrina's mouth guard I was beat. So here I was, looking down on my desecrated uniform. It was a mess and stained all over and, judging from the smell and stiffness of the fabric that made my blouse, Anderson was a drooler, ew.

It came to the fact that I couldn't very well wear these clothes. And Chris was rather petit in comparison to me, but not Sabrina (who reeked of vomit), so I stuck going through Robbie's garments for something suitable. There wasn't much along the lines of choice. It was mainly polo shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, khakis and jeans. I shuffled grouchily through Rob's clothes again and again until he just yelled at me to pick something already, women! I stuck out my tongue at him and pulled on a pair of too large jeans and long sleeved tee. I also stole his Welton sweatshirt for extra measure.

The moms were running a diner downstairs. Mr. Meeks had, much to everyone's relief, found his pants on a ceiling fan. Dad and Mr. Overstreet were discussing vague memories of the previous night. Something about bottle songs and lampshades, I was positive I didn't really want to know what was up with that. Sabrina was emerging from the hall clad in slacks and a blouse. From her expression I knew that she would have much rather borrowed some of Rob's clothes, but we all can't do that, seeing as Anderson had to nip some clothes as well. After all, his shirt was trash and the backs of the legs on his pants were ripped off. Hm, what the hell did that boy do?

Mom put a plate under my nose. I was ready to pounce-

"Table manners." She commanded. I glowered at her and began eating like a _lady_ as opposed to a normal human being. Down the table, Rob, Anderson, Theo, Dad, Mr. Overstreet, Mr. Meeks and Mr. Anderson were shoveling down eggs and bacon as if the food was going to vanish. Dad was slurping down his coffee when Mom slapped him upside the head; meaning he spilled the hot liquid all over his lap. He did a little and hilarious dance over to the tap to get cold water on his scalded thighs. What the end result was that it seemed he'd made in his pants. Then Theo belched.

And Neil had to belch louder. Theo burped again and topped Neil. Again Neil challenged him and again he was louder. They went on for a few rounds until Sabrina, through accident, ended the whole contest than being louder the two put together. But all things must come to an end. Mr. Anderson and his son had a plane to catch back home to, get this, _California_, where Mr. Anderson was a director by trade. Sabrina, Mr. and Mrs. Meeks had an epic drive back down to Connecticut. And my family had a long haul to Massachusetts that had to be covered quickly so to be home when our grandparents arrived for our traditional Christmas Eve party thingy.

Anderson, Rob, Theo, Sabrina and I high tailed it out of the house when it was time to clean up after the masses. We all hung around outside on Rob's front lawn, starting a snowball fight after about two seconds of being out there. It was a mass of confusion and yelling in which we were decking each other stuffing snow into inconvenient places. I got into a hell of a brawl with Rob, trying to stuff snow down his shirt. I had him decked and was straddling him as he flailed about beneath my patented grip of death. I finally succeeded as The Dads were coming out. I paused and Rob was able to throw me off, but the deed was done and he was squeaking with cold. He ran back into the house to be protected by Mommy.

"COWARD!" I yelled as I got up. Once again I was faced with that awkward situation where you're parents would really like to know what the hell is going on but you really can't explain. Mr. Anderson was again looking mortified by my actions, but I shrugged it off, _my_ Dad thought I was a riot. But he may've still been just a little bit drunk, maybe. Anderson had turned Theo into snowman, I was impressed, considering he's the youngest of four brothers, and probably the most spoiled too. I gave him a hug for such nice handiwork and he grabbed my arm, flipping me neatly into a dazed pile over his shoulder. Now all the parents were laughing as he raised his hands in victory, though his little parade didn't last long because Sabrina and I attacked his legs at the same time, pulling him down.

Neil had me in a headlock and was giving me a noogie as I struggled to get out, I was thrashing around wildly. Sabrina had extricated herself from the fight, walking off to her car. I finally clipped Anderson in the eye with my fingers and he released me to rub the offended body part. I nailed him with the final snow ball and ended the fight, victorious! Soaking wet and laughing I was escorted to the Prix as Dad dug Theo out of the snowman get up Anderson had put him in.

It was a long drive home, full of parental scolding and Theo moaning. I fell asleep after an hour, lulled senseless the steady hum of the engine.

0-o-0

Dad woke me up when we arrived home at about one in the afternoon. Mom was already in the house, putting Theo through the shower and trying to make a decent meal for my demanding grandparents. I was heading to the house but-

"Charlie, some on, we're going for a walk. I want to talk to you." Dad was calling me back. There was a path around the back of the house that we took for a small walk in the woods in the summertime when it was warm and sweet. The icy December air bit at my face, leaving it numb and unfeeling, a mask of skins stretched to tight over a skull.

"O Captain! my Captain!" Dad quoted. "That's from-

"Whitman, an example of apostrophe." Dad looked at me with a confused expression. "Long story." I said simply.

"When I was at Welton, I only knew that line. The Captain, Keating, was the one who was addressed by that name. I know I've held this part back from you for so long. After I left Welton, I, by sheer chance, saw the poem in full." Dad sighed, running his hand through his hair. I saw worry lines that I hadn't before, proof that my father wasn't just the merry and fun person you saw, but he had depth, he was still tormented by his school days, still scarred.

"O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,  
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,  
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,  
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;  
But O heart! heart! heart!  
O the bleeding drops of red,  
Where on the deck my Captain lies,  
Fallen cold and dead." Dad recited with slow deliberate words, stressing the death and pain.

"O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;  
Rise up for you the flag is flung for you the bugle trills,  
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths for you the shores a-crowding,  
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;  
Here Captain! dear father!  
This arm beneath your head!  
It is some dream that on the deck,  
You've fallen cold and dead." I was slowing; there was pain in the tone of his voice. In all my life I had never heard it there, the torture that was internal and unending. To have carried such things as a good friend's suicide must have been unbearable.

"My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,  
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,  
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,  
From fearful trip the victor ship comes with object won:  
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!  
But I walk with mournful tread,  
Where on the deck my Captain lies,  
Fallen cold and dead." Dad was quiet now. The house was creeping back into sight and whatever point he was to make had to made now. We stopped, side by side. Dad faced me.

"Things, Charlie, were so difficult. We all question whether or not we should have done what we did, but how different would things be? Would Neil just have done the same thing later? Would we be different men, other than we are today? But sometimes, I think back, and I don't regret a moment of the Society. I found out things there about myself that no one could tell me. But…" Dad trailed off unsteadily, taking in a long breath. "But, then I have regretted a lot of it at the same time. It's an awful sensation, Charlie…Charlie, don't get caught. You are so much of me, I worry. I remember very much what I was like at your age. Cocky, smart mouthed and a smart ass scraping on by the skin of his teeth in school. Charlie, please, don't do anything stupid, no phone calls from God, unless their collect." His face lifted with a pleasant memory and so did the mood of the day.

"OK Dad." Was all I said. But he went right back to the Dad I knew after a few steps toward the house.

"That boy of Todd's, he's cute. And it appears you two have a _very_ natural chemistry." Yup, he was back!

"DAD! Give me a break!"

"In your arms or your legs?"

"Ugh!" I made snowball and chased his back to the house, trying to make him eat it.

0-o-0

It was a few hours and one very evil dress later that my grandparents arrived to spoil us. I had my parcels already unpacked and under the tree by the second I got back in the house. I was lazing in front of the fireplace when they came in.

There are a few drawbacks to my grandparents. They might love us to death, but their not very proud of my dad since he never became a banker like the wanted him to and never made it to a six figure salary. To them the career he eventually pursued wasn't lucrative enough to be considered good enough. Dad would just ignore them as they hinted to what they thought was his lack of success.

Grandma had arrayed herself (and no other way to explain it) on the couch, looking over the tree and the fireplace, wineglass clasped in her hand. Grandpa was off with Dad, exploring the instruments in 'the Dungeon', otherwise known as the basement of our house. The squawks and groans of various instruments wafted up; the organ (something my father had acquired in order to learn to play it, but instead had let it sit, learning only a few cords that, when strung together, brought about thoughts of the Phantom of the Opera) scared everyone in the room with its deep rumble. After shaking the dust from the ceiling, the two came from the Dungeon.

Mom was at work in the kitchen, smells of ham (the turkey was for tomorrow) drifted from the room. I was wishing I could itch my waist beneath the dress as the sash cut into me. It was a tame evening with not much to report, just the usual critical grandmother and my father apologizing to my mother for her. After dinner, gifts!

Theo, of course, was the little spoiled favorite of my grandparents. He received an armada of toy cars while I got clothing and a stern lecture about my behavior while I was at Welton from my grandfather. Dad mussed my hair and told him jokingly, "Don't worry, Pops, she's not me you know!"

Ah, well, maybe not exactly, but I was close.

0-o-0

I was laying awake that night, looking into the darkness, hoping it would divine my future for me, hoping it would tell me what was going to happen to me. I knew I had taken this risk with full knowledge of what would happen if I got caught. I rolled over onto my stomach. The only thing different this time was that there was no 'Captain' guiding the group, just us trying to figure things out as we went along. We needed that adult guide, but who?

I rolled over again, trying to settle my thoughts. I fell asleep and was awaken the next morning by Theo's loud, resounding footsteps down the stair and his joyful cry of, "PRESENTS!"

**Me: **There you go! Next Chapter: New Years! **Anderson: **Par-tay! **Everyone: **I don't think so! **Anderson: **What? **Charlie: **Hangover, remember? **Anderson: **No, not really. **Sabrina: **Nothing? **Anderson: **Nope. **Me: **Still no party. **Anderson: **Aw, come on!


	17. Christmas Break :: Part Two

**Me: **And we're ba-a-a-a-ack! **Charlie: **Whoop de freaking do. **Anderson: **Yeah, who gives a flying bran muffin if we're back? **Me: **Someone must… **Sabrina: **Yeah! And in response to **_Lovebuggy _**we used 'Neil' and 'Anderson' a lot in that chapter because of his dad, we didn't want to use 'Anderson' too much, k? **Me: **Sorry if we confused you! But for the most part in past, present and future chapters, he's mainly called Anderson…any chapters when Charlie's angry or Todd is around, you will be getting that strange switch off. **Danny: **This whole thing is confusing. **Sean: **Who asked you? **Danny: **I asked me. **Me: **I don't think this is going to end well… **Sean and Danny: **_((evil glares)) _**Charlie: **Fight, fight, fight, fight! **Me: **Oh boy… **Sabrina: **You get him Danny! **Charlie: **Beat the crap out of him Sean! **Sabrina and Charlie: **_((evil glares)) _**Me: **Why me? **Geoff and Anderson: **Oh, a fist fight and a catfight! This is living!

It was a bountiful Christmas, I couldn't complain too much…well, actually, I could but I'm not going to, you never know if your parents are listening or not! It was New Year's Eve and I was curled up on the sofa in front of the fire place with Rob's Welton sweatshirt (I had left my own at school) and new Levi's on. My mom had mysteriously stitched a lining of flannel into the pant legs, making me wonder what she knew…I had no way of knowing what my father had told her.

I absently traced the rim of my mug before taking another sip of the rich cocoa inside. My parents were throwing a New Year's bash that would surely go down in local history. All of my public school friends would be there, all of the people I'd left behind and that was weighing on my mind. After all, I was now technically a preppy, no lie, exactly the kind of person they hated. Kara, Tony, Fran, Joel and Kelly, my normal gang, might see me as different now. I so badly wanted to share all of my Dead Poets dares with them, but it was something I could never do. And I didn't want to keep things from my friends.

But I had to keep my loyalty to the others and the Dead Poet's Code. I couldn't tell anyone, as bad as I wanted to. Little things surfaced in my head, all the times I had spent for so many years with Kelly and everyone else that I'd been forcefully removed from with Welton. Welton. Why did my dad send me there? It was a good school, yes, there was no doubt about that, but he'd taken me away from my life. All these people I used to see every day now I was only going to see on vacations. My school for which I had navigated and terrorized the halls of for two years was behind me, a new school with very little of what I wanted to major in set in front of me. I pressed my hand against my forehead; I was giving myself a headache.

0-o-0

My father, though not extraordinarily gifted in the area of electronics, had managed to make the house throb to the vibes off the stereo. It wasn't just my friends that were there, but anyone and everyone we knew. Aunts and uncles, cousins and one set of grandparents from my mother's side were groovin' to the beat. I had gone through all of the clothes here to settle on a large dark purple sweater the almost dropped clear to my knees (with a shirt I hadn't realized I'd snitched from Anderson's room…it may've been someone else's…I don't know, beneath it) and black leggings. I had resurrected a pair of high tops from the basement (they looked older than me) and had jammed a beret in my head.

I had my friends off in a corner of the house where I knew it wouldn't be frequented by too many people and where we could just talk. But it didn't just stay talking, the guys wanted to dance and for what most people would call acceptable, we dance a little dirty. Kelly and Tony were dancing close and hot. I find the name of her boyfriend ironic, considering as it's the same first name as the kid I had to punch. Kara had Pete Rezendez wrapped around her little finger at the moment had was slipping closer to him with every gesture; flicking her red hair seductively. Fran and Whitey were slow dancing…and I was sitting; so was Joel.

It began simply enough; we were just talking, but soon our friends were playing matchmakers, something that they were awful fond of. Kelly hauled me to my feet and shoved me into Joel, who smiled apologetically. I shook my head.

"I suppose…we should please them?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," I said, "We should."

There were a few awkward moments of silence.

"I miss Art Club." I commented, trying to start a conversation. Joel sagged suddenly with relief; there was something to talk about.

"We miss you Charlie. No one can pick the locks to the showers like you can." We both grinned wickedly, remembering when we'd gotten the bright idea to switch the cheerleaders' shampoo with paint. Ah, the fruits of a well thought out plan.

"Try anything good this year yet?" I asked, not noticing that now we were both swaying comfortably around.

"Just a little thing…" he answered, smiling mysteriously. I quirked an eyebrow.

"Involving paint…"

"What? I can't stand the suspense!"

"Filled the basketballs with paint." I nearly fell over laughing, picturing the player who got that ball and looked to see why it was so heavy.

"…paint all over the uniforms and no one can prove it was us 'cause they didn't think anything's gonna happen if there ain't Charlie Dalton leading the art rejects." He snickered at our title. The art rejects; that's what we were called, but it never really sunk in, our skins were just too thick. My bangs had fallen into my face, obliterating my eyes, and I was trying in vain to shake them away. Joel, who'd always had a problem with them since third grade, impatiently moved them for me to the delight of our friends, who laughed and a few made suggestive comments. I would have given them the finger if my dad hadn't been walking by to refill a few wineglasses. I hadn't dated much when I had been here to live, now it seemed I never I would. Welton was cutting me off from my life.

I've never told you much about my history. I know you know that Kelly is my best friend. But did you know that I had the biggest crush on Tony when I was twelve, or that I'd pulled my first Art Club prank as a scared freshman or how we gained Joel after Kayla died? Or maybe just how much I missed all of them. Daring Kelly, who had the nerve enough to quite frankly tell off the administration on more than one occasion, cynical Kara, the only art reject to successfully date her way through the entire offensive line of the football team and dump everyone of them, dramatic Tony, leader of the school theater and never without a smile, (please, don't make assumptions when I say this, this is how _everyone_ describes him) sweet Joel, who we all felt bad for because he'd been so lost after his twin died, and sadistic Fran, who, if ever, she was to be positive, it would be a miracle.

Kelly interrupted everyone with a bottle and a plan.

0-o-0

Apparently, telling Kelly about what happened that night at the Overstreet's had not been a good idea. Her idea? Well, we all had to kiss someone at midnight. All of the people from our school that had turned out were paired up, heck, even some of the parents joined in. Now we were counting down the seconds to 1984. Kelly had arranged herself comfortably on Tony's lap and was teasing him with a piece of cake that she'd snagged from the food table. I scanned the room and prayed to god that no one would see Kara and Pete having the time of their short lives on the leather armchair. With ten seconds to go, all the couples amassed to watch the hands of the clock swing us into the New Year.

"Charlie!" screamed Kelly (I think maybe she'd snitched a little wine), "Who you doing?"

"No one!" I yelled.

"The heck with that!" she motioned wildly with her hands. "JOEL!"

Oh, jesus christ, what now? Kelly had reached around until the person she'd summoned had appeared, and she grabbed him.

"Joel," she was definitely a touch drunk, "You and Charlie are gonna kiss, k? Now I know you want to," Kelly poked his chest for emphasis. "'Cause all you talk about how much you miss Charlie."

He smiled sheepishly at me and I rolled me eyes. Good god, things had gotten out of control in my absence! I obliged my friend as things wound to five seconds.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" the entire room chorused before the majority kissed someone. We looked around, Joel and I, all of our friends were finishing up. We looked back at each other as their eyes turned to us.

"Nothing to it but to do it?" he asked.

"E-yup." I answered.

0-o-0

It was about one in the morning and the activity had yet to subside. The cheap champagne that was going around had circulated to those beneath the drinking age as well. I'd pressed but one glass to my lips and found that I, in fact, did not hold liquor well. In truth, after only one glass, I was so disoriented that I'd let Joel swing his arm around my waist and hold me like that. We were all gathered around a common area again, sitting and talking. I'd settled into the corner of the sofa, Joel so very close, and was conversing with Kelly. After a while, the fire and it's heat got the better of me and I got sleepy. Joel was already out like a light, breathing evenly into my neck. As I drowsed off, all I could think about was how much of a repeat this was…

My dad woke me up at about seven in the morning, Kelly and Fran knocked out on the couch. He shook my head as I rubbed my eye trying to deal with my head ache as it pounded against my forehead. Dad directed me to my room and said he'd bring me some tea and aspirin. I stumbled over Theo, who was asleep on the stairs and made it to my bed. I lowered myself into the flannel sheets I'd put on it and wrapped up tight. My eyes adjusted to the dark of the room; I'd left all of the shades drawn tight. There was something on my dresser; a note of bright white paper. I picked it up and slowly read:

_Charlie,_

_579 Tremont St Write me… _

_Joel _

I ran my eyes over it again and again. _Write me_. I folded the paper and stuffed it into a bag that was going back with me. Dad brought me my tea and I was all smiles; as much as I was sure there was a jackhammer on the loose in my head.

0-o-0

I awoke again at about six that evening. Wow, that had really taken the energy right out of me. I couldn't find Theo as I crept down the stairs in pursuit of food, but I could here my parents in the kitchen…and it wasn't the best news.

"Charlie," I heard my mother sigh, "This payment for the school…how much longer do you think we can afford it?"

"Lizzie, Lottie's a good girl, she'll get good grades-

"That wasn't the point."

"I was hoping you'd forget." I listened to my mom walk around the kitchen, it sounded like she was pacing.

"We can't afford this! Charlotte's not going to ever get a scholarship, and they weren't so happy to see you."

"Well, what did you expect?"

"Charlie…why can't we bring her back here?"

"Now? No, she's staying there, end of story."

"Why are you so bent on this, Charlie, you have to tell me!"

"I can't – I don't know why!"

"The place is such a bad memory for you…why do you bother?"

"Liz –

"Charles." My mother leveled her voice.

"Why do you have to question everything?"

"And why shouldn't I? You just sent our daughter to a boarding school four hours away where she's out numbered by boys everywhere and probably scared to death-

"Our Charlie? In case you haven't noticed she's perfectly fine."

"For how long? What if one of those little _perversity ridden cads _takes advantage of her?"

"Liz, I don't think this is what's wrong-

"It's not!" my mother suddenly screamed

"Then what is?" Dad's voice was set in steel and cold as it was outside.

"Why did you get to make this decision! You never asked either one of us about this until a week before, barely enough time to buy a uniform and all that other crap we dropped a bundle on! You can't do this!" I couldn't help but agree with my mother, I hadn't been asked or informed, I'd just been sent off. I felt a small twinge of resentment in my chest at my father. Last night, oh last night, I could never do that with my Welton friends – only my home friends. I wanted to come back to stay!

"Lizzie-Lou-

"No, no." I heard my mother putting things down and shoving the contents of the sink around. "No, Charles, no. I won't take it anymore…I won't."

I then lost my balance, in shock over hearing my parents fight for the first time in my memory, and made a large thud on the staircase. They silenced themselves…but I don't know…something was about to happen.

0-o-0

Kelly and everyone swung by for my last night until February vacation, a whole two months! I told Joel I'd gotten his note; he flamed red underneath his black hair and mumbled something about I didn't have to write him if I didn't want to, considering I hadn't even penned anything for Kelly. I'd smiled brightly, told him of course I would write him and mussed his dark hair playfully. The night continued until one o'clock, ending on someone's rooftop where we were observing the stars, no one caring that it was freezing out but rather that we were all just back together.

0-o-0

The next morning I was forced out of bed by my dad full of protest. I don't wanna go back to school dad! I don't wanna! I had packed my bags in advance (good thing too) and only had to whip them into the trunk of the Prix before we were off! After an hour and a half of driving, we stopped in Salem, New Hampshire, to fill up on gas and for me to change into regular clothes. As I tugged my black turtle neck, Joel's note fell out. I picked it up and fingered the handwriting. As I packed my things up, I kept it and a small drawing pad out, along with a pen, with plans of writing. But when I finally strode out of the bathroom, Dad tossed me the keys and hopped into the passenger seat.

"You're driving, kiddo." He said, pushing his beaten black beret over his eyes and stretching out, "I'm gonna get some sleep."

I rolled my eyes and started the car up. I'd only gotten my license a few months ago in the summer. I moved the car out onto the highway. Boy, I hope I knew where I was going.

I rolled into Welton and shut the car off to the surprised eyes of the administrators and the students. Sean, who'd arrived some time earlier, let his eyes widen, their gaze switching between the car and me behind the wheel. After about two or three minutes of awkward silence he asked, "They actually let _you_, you who has so many war stories of getting into trouble, _drive_?"

I smirked. "Well, duh."

Sean shook his head and called to the others; apparently Anderson and I were the only ones let behind the wheel of a car and allowed onto public roads. My dad, later of course, raised his eyebrows and wanted to know, "What did you tell them?"

I grinned sheepishly, "Nothin'."

**Me: **So, what do you think? Is it good? I'm trying to make things happen! **Charlie: **((snorts)) All you did was bring another person into these stupid things you call author's notes. **Joel: **I'm not stupid! **Charlie: **I never said you were. **Anderson: **((grumbles about something)) **Me: **What are you saying? **Danny, Sabrina, Sean and Geoff: **He's a little j-e-a-l-o-u-s. If you catch our drift. **Anderson: **I am most certainly not! **Me: **I dunno Anderson, you could be…** Anderson: **Well, I'm not jealous…you can have the witch. **Joel: **Uh huh, thanks…I think…I don't even know why I'm here…can I go home? **Everyone: **((laughs)) What do you think? **Joel: **Um…so…where's the bathroom? **Danny: **That's the spirit! **Me: **Ok…((sighs and shakes her head)) guys… **Joel: **Hey, what's Good Charlotte and why is GC written all over your pants? **Me: **You stay away from that mister. **Charlie: **((grabs the Chronicles, The Young and The Hopeless and the GC pants)) Actually, they're a pretty good band. **Joel: **Explain… **Me: **((takes the CD away)) Not for you! **Charlie and Joel: **Aw, come on! **Me: **((in an offhand tone to the readers)) I'm on a GC kick this week, please don't mind the fact that I named a character after a band member- **Joel: **You did what now! **Me: **And now I'm thinking I'm going to regret doing so. **Joel: **What are you talking about! **Me: **Ugh, stop being so girly. Anyway, if these past three chapters have seemed rather dull, eh, well, that's my fault. I was busy with the surprise literary jokes in the next. I want to tell you so bad what's gonna happen, but I can't…I want to…but I can't.


	18. Who Knew That?

**Anderson:** Well, we found dirty jokes in some unexpected places. **Me: **Uh, yeah, it's called Freshman Honors English. **Sabrina: **No, really? **Charlie: **I just don't like having to explain to everyone who Joel is! **Joel: **But they know who I am. **Danny: **Well, technically, we haven't met you yet. **Sean: **If you follow with the story that is. **Geoff: **Because otherwise, we know you very well. **Joel: **That wasn't funny…((grumbles angrily)) **Anderson: **Tee hee. **Charlie and Me: **What did you do…? **Anderson, Sean, Geoff and Danny: **We played the 'Psycho' theme-song and Sean came in with a knife when he was in the shower. **Me: **You guys have big issues…but, you know what? Go get Rob out of the dressing room and I might have cookies for you. **Anderson, Sean, Geoff and Danny: **((dash off))

"So…" Sabrina was looking me over as I wrote. "You seem to be happy." I nodded, not taking my eyes off the paper. She still couldn't figure out who it was for and it was driving her insane. I scratched something out and penciled something new in. I was penning my first letter back home to Joel and, well, truth be told, it was getting rather long for me only having been back a few hours. Sabs snapped.

"Who, just who, has you writing them a very long letter?" she said, exasperated. I laughed hard and replied, "What do I get out of it if I tell you?"

"I won't tell anyone else." She said with a pout. I shrugged and tossed her the paper. I needed a break, my fingers were killing me. I heard her sharp intake of breath before I knew she would ask. I didn't want to have this conversation, though I knew it was coming. It was one of those things you can't avoid and I knew I was going to have it with quite a few people by the end of the week.

"Who's Joel?"

"A friend."

"Just a friend?"

"Yeah Sabs, just a friend."

"But _he's_ a _boy_."

"Yes, _he _is." I rolled my eyes. "So are a lot of our friends if you haven't noticed yet Sabs."

Sabrina dismissed my comment with a flick of her hand and sigh. "But you're not writing to them special telling them you miss them."

It was then that I turned a brilliant shade of red and snatched my letter back.

0-o-0

We were all convened in the cave, enjoying another late night meeting. Rob was toting _Romeo and Juliet_ for some reason. He was often good at turning anything Shakespeare into something dead comical. Even if it was tragic. He flipped open to the first pages of the book and cleared his throat dramatically.

"Two households-

"Do we _have_ to listen to this?" whined Geoff before Rob even got the first line out. Anderson whacked him upside the head.

"We listened to you telling sissy ghost stories."

"Yeah." Everyone muttered.

"But _Romeo and Juliet_?" Geoff moaned, "Come on!"

"Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;

Whose misadventure piteous overthrows

Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.

The fearful passage of their death-marked love,

And the continuance of their parents' rage,

Which, but their children's end, naught could remove,

It is now the two hours traffic of our stage;

The which is you shall with patient ears attend,

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."

Rob silenced us with the opening sonnet. He smiled widely. "Who wants to pick parts? We have a cast of, let's see…" he flipped around, checking for names, "Who wants to be Romeo? Come on, someone must…no? Ok then…I'm going to be Romeo. And, hum, how about Charlie why don't you be Julie- on second thought, how about Sabrina can be Juliet and Charlie…you can be the Nurse. And, Danny, my man, you'll be Benvolio. And…Anderson you can be Mercutio…Geoff, you're Sampson and Sean…why don't you stick to Gregory for the moment." Rob looked around with that silly smiled affixed to his face. He was making us play _Romeo and Juliet_. People, frikkin' _Romeo and Juliet_! There was nothing to do now but go along because never before had we done something of his picking. The first scene of the first act was between Sampson and Gregory and it went well up until about line fourteen.

"'Tis true; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall. Therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall and thrust his maids to the wall." Geoff said. Sean picked up his passage next.

"The quarrel is between our masters and us their men."

"'Tis all one. I will show myself a tyrant. When I have fought with the men, I will be civil with the maids – I will cut their heads off."

"The heads of the maids?"

"Ay, the heads of maids or their maiden heads. Take it in what sense thou wilt."

Sabrina's jaw dropped. "Oh my god." She said softly. "Oh _my_."

We all turned to face her as she reddened. Everyone had to ask what. She shook her head, seemingly unable to speak anymore. So we continued.

"They must take it in sense that they feel."

"Me they shall feel while I am able to stand; and 'tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh ."

"'Tis well known thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou hadst been Poor John. Draw thy tool! Here comes two of the house of Montagues."

"My naked weapon is out-

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" screamed Sabrina, she lives! "Are you all really that naïve!" she asked.

"About what?" Danny asked slowly.

"God, do you know what that whole thing is about?" all of the head shook; Sabrina drew in her breath before telling us the truth.

"They're talking about _sex_ you idiots." It didn't take that long for the rest of the pieces to fall in place and for all of us to be thoroughly disturbed. Or amused; Sean found it very entertaining. We continued through most of the play, however, finding that it was great fun to act it out. Our boy Robby was by far the best of us, memorizing his passages faster than one can imagine. We all took great pleasure in watching him fluster Sabrina with his remarkable ability to keep a straight face while acting even the most romantic and gushy scenes. Rob finally snapped the book shut and tucked it into his jacket at about three in the morning. It was time to go back and get ready for another day at Welton Academy.

0-o-0

Oh dear god, could today have been anymore boring? No, I don't think I could have. But lovely Donnelly was proving me wring, oh so, very wrong. I was actually to the point where I was holding up my eyelids to stay awake. Rob could make Shakespeare fun and interesting; Donnelly made him so freaking dull. For lack of a better word. I moaned as she launched into sonnets. Ugh, make it stop.

It was taking all I had not to bang my head on the desk out of frustration. Anderson was already long gone, asleep with his head resting on his desk. Not that I blamed him, coming back in from California had been a shock to his system plus a late night. I was just hoping for his sake that he wouldn't snore. Rob was having a moment in back, his nit-pickiness was driving him insane as Donnelly delivered lines without much feeling or rhythm. Rob understood this whole Shakespeare mess; Donnelly, well, I couldn't tell you what she knew. Finally, finally after about thirty five minutes of this, Robert Thomas Overstreet snapped.

"It's 'Two households, _both_ alike in dignity', not 'Two households, alike in dignity'!" he screamed a little too passionately. Donnelly stared awestruck at the normally quiet and conservative boy. She was drawing in her breath to discipline him but Rob wasn't done yet. "And for the love of god, put some _feeling_ into it! Don't just say it, _mean _it!" Rob was now standing up, papers flying everywhere from the sudden movement. Oh dear god, the boy was going to try to act. "Ah, but soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon who is already sick and pale with grief that thou her maid art far more fair than she."

Every single jaw in that room dropped to the floor. Even the teacher's. Rob ended the passage, which was beautiful in it's delivery and his motions, and suddenly seemed to realize just what he was doing. He went a brilliant shade of red as his classmates either applauded (the Society and a few others who were a little more appreciative of the arts) or laughed hysterically. He bowed clumsily and took his seat, burying his head in his arms. I patted his shoulder, congratulating him on an excellent performance.

"I'm dead!" emanated from somewhere beneath his arms. And sure enough, Donnelly was making her tongue work again.

"Mr. Overstreet." Was all she could manage. "The headmaster's office. Now. Go."

Rob gathered his books with a somber and frightened face. I winked at him as he walked by andhe shot me a disparaging glance. The boy must have never been in trouble in his entire life, what a stiff, but now, now he was in for the real deal. When the bell rang about ten minutes later, all of us, the Society that is, rushed to the headmaster's door and waited.

Robby emerged pale and sweaty, his knuckles had turned white from grasping his books so hard. I took him a little while to be able to form words.

"Detention. For. A. Week. Starting. Tonight." He gasped out. Danny, Sean, Geoff and Anderson clapped him on the back, proclaiming that he was officially one of the gang having finally earned himself a detention with Harding. Said headmaster came to clear us out of his area with an icy glare directed at me.

"Six thirty sharp, Ms. Dalton." He reminded me. "Don't be late. Now all of you, out before I call your parents!"

0-o-0

I was sitting at dinner with my letter to Joel in my lap. I was trying to write in under the table rather unsuccessfully as I had to try to keep my hands above the table enough as not to rouse suspicion. Tonight, unfortunately, was one of the "mixed seating" nights where we were allowed to sit where ever we wanted, or rather that the boys were allowed to sit with the girls for a meal. Anderson, who was next to me, peeked over to see what I was doing. My eyebrows hit my hairline as I felt his hand slide over my thigh to feel for the paper. In my rage, amazement and complete shock, he was able to get the paper. After scanning the first few lines, he grinned weakly.

"Your boyfriend?" he asked hesitantly, as if this was something he didn't expect of me. I scowled and took the paper back. "My friend." I went back to my dinner as Anderson's smile increased a few molars. "So, he's not your boyfriend?"

I poked the gap between his jacket and his belt with my fork. "He is _not_ my boyfriend."

0-o-0

You know what? I don't care if I get thrown out, I want to throttle this old, stuffy, pompous, snotty, condescending and a touch sexist, I'm sure, headmaster that I have gotten stuck with and throw the body in the lake. I don't care if I get caught, I can't take this anymore.

'This' was detention with Harding. He was pacing the room lecturing me about, god, I don't know, I stopped paying attention, but when I did catch snatches of what he was saying it wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. My teachers, he said, had often complained of my presence being a disturbing one to the class. Apparently, the way I conducted myself was not a ladylike one and I most definitely needed better manners by all counts. Sneaking into the boys' locker room and pulling the towel off of a student hadn't exactly earned me lots of brownie points around here.

Oh yeah, Rob was there too, but he wasn't getting lectured tonight. I think because he was a guy and his offence less offensive that Harding was saving him for tomorrow. After all, reciting Shakespeare in the middle of class wasn't really up there with forcing a classmate into nudity. I stood the firing line until about nine o'clock. I was let out of the office with about ten minutes to do my homework. Which really meant that I would be up doing it with my flashlight. Cheers.

**Charlie: **They got Rob out of the dressing room, and ((snickers)) it's just too ((snorts)) good to miss. ((breaks down laughing completely)) **Me: **Presenting the Romeo of Welton Academy: Robert Thomas Overstreet! **Rob: **((is shoved forward in a Romeo costume)) This is so wrong… **Everyone: **Act! Come one, do something! **Rob: **((evil glare)) If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with tender kiss. **Everyone: **((laughing hysterically)) OH! Keep going, keep going! **Rob: **((pouts)) I think not. **Me: **Oh, come on! I had to do it in front of my entire English class and I forgot it the second I got up to the front to recite. **Rob: **Still not saying anything. **Me: **((huffs)) Fine, then I'll do something…Come night; come Romeo; come thou day in night! For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night, whiter than new snow upon a raven's back. Come gentle night; come loving, black-browed night and give me my Romeo- **Rob: **Ok, that's enough, you suck. **Me: **((grins)) Cheers poet-boy.


	19. Danny and Sabrina's Quandry

**Anderson: **Rob is hiding in the closet! **Me: **And…? **Danny and Sabrina: **We want to use it. **Me: **What did we say about the friggin' closet? **Danny: **No using it for that purpose – aw, c'mon! **Me: **NO! **Charlie: **Er, yeah, we'd prefer that you didn't, really, it's just a touch disturbing. **Rob: **I'm still not coming out! **Geoff: **Is he gay or something, because that would explain a bit. **Me: **He is not gay, he has a girlfriend, remember? And that's more than we can say for you. **Geoff: **Whatever. **Joel: **Why is the fridge empty…again? **Anderson: **((burps)) Uh…I have no clue whatsoever. **Me: **Good lord, it's impossible to feed six guys with one fridge! Heck, it's impossible to feed one!

All we can say is that Rob's little out burst has done wonders for him. All of a sudden girls wanted him. Apparently, a guy who could quote Shakespeare, and _romantic_ Shakespeare, at the drop of a hat was hot. And Rob, well, poor Rob, had every girl fourteen and up after him. None of the other boys if my group would have said no to this, but I knew Rob had Katie back home. And it was trying him dearly to ignore all of the pretty girls who were vying for his attentions, maybe to get a little poetry from him.

Anderson, Sean, Geoff and Danny could soon be witnessed carrying volumes of poetry, looking for anything and everything that could count as romantic. The angle wasn't working for them though, only Rob could pull it off. In fact, in the end, I think the only girls not wooed by them were Sabrina and I; a fact that Sabrina pointed out in late January during a club meeting as the interest of the girls in Rob was peaking.

They laughed it off, saying that they couldn't, no way, look at us that way. It seemed a little sad, but I didn't care much. I didn't need a good friendship ruined, but Sabs just seemed to be taking the whole thing personally.

"It's because of my glasses and my hair isn't it?" she pouted. "I keep telling my mother that this perm is just hideous, but she insists and-"

"It's not what you look like Sabs, it's just that you're a good friend." Anderson broke in lazily. "'Sides, how could I come to you for help if we broke up and you never wanted to see me again?"

Sabrina huffed. Danny was absentmindedly blowing smoke rings through the small hole of the cavern. His brother apparently smuggled him the smokes during vacations and visits. None of us really liked his dirty habit, my own father had smoked until Theo was diagnosed with asthma and the smoke interfered with his breathing, so I knew what it was like to live with one but it didn't appeal to me anymore. As Sabrina argued her case, he snuffed his cigarette and propped himself from where he'd been lying, lounging on his elbows. He shook his dirty blond hair out of his face, hazel eyes glinting as he smiled.

"O, my love is like a red, red rose- this is for you Sabrina Meeks, don't say no one ever recited for you."

"O, my love is like a red, red rose

That's newly sprung in June,

O, my love is like a melody.

That's played sweetly in a tune.

As fair art thou, my bonny lass,

So deep in love I am,

And I will love thee still, my dear,

Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun!

And I will love thee still, my dear,

While the sands o' life shall run

And fair thee weel, my only love,

And fare thee weel a while!

And I will come again, my love,

Tho' it were ten thousand mile!"

"By Robert Burns." He finished before going to flop back over onto his back. Sabrina was speechless. All she could do was just sit. Then, "Danny?"

"Huh?"

"You're of Irish descent…right?"

"Uh huh."

"That poem was Scottish."

Danny sat back up. "I take the liberty to memorize the stupid thing and I can't even get any thanks for it."

"Well no one said you had to."

"Well no one asked you to carry on about how you're not getting any attention."

"Well no one said it was you who had to give it to me!"

"Well no one told you to listen!" he yelled at her. Sabrina's eyes, well, really her glasses, were flashing dangerously. The blond and the red head were trying to kill each other off with their stares. And if looks could really kill, both of them would be nothing more than little itty bitty piles of dust. Everyone else was getting uncomfortable right then. Sabrina sniffed and did something very bold.

"Well, if I didn't know better I'd say you were hitting on me."

Danny's face blanched. "If I was, you'd know, believe me, and I would most certainly _not_ hit on you."

"Then you think I'm ugly."

Danny rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, muttering obscenities. "You're not ugly, you're just, just-"

"Ugly."

"-Sabrina, that's all."

"And what is that supposed to mean!"

"Well," Danny was hesitating and his concentration slipping up as his thick Rhode Island accent began to surface more. "You're just sort of, you know, a friend?"

"Does that mean I'm not a girl?"

"No, but, you know, I can't screw a friendship up because someone thinks I should date her because she finds me," he lowered his voice to a smooth, suave tone and quirked his eyebrows, "irresistible."

"UGH!" It was now time for the nerd to explode. "It's because of people like you, Daniel Mc Geough, that I can't just- I don't- ah!" Sabrina began to drown in her own frenzy of words, more like half said words, and stormed out of the cave and back to the school, taking Verse with her. We all looked back at Danny who looked innocently right back at us.

"What?" he asked.

0-o-0

I had no clue that Sabs could carry a grudge for so long, none whatsoever. I'm telling you now to never get on her bad side like Danny was. He was basically being shunned, it was as if, to her, that he had never even existed. He got not even one bit of praise or anything at meetings not did he receive the help needed for schoolwork. Not only that, but rumors were flying, spreading like wildfire, that they'd been dating.

It didn't matter that all of those girls were addicted to Rob, they would have been blind not to notice Danny. I mean, the guy was near as tall as Anderson with dirty blond hair that fell with casual elegance into mischievous hazel eyes and a smile with dimples…ok, so yeah, he was good looking. And a friend, very much my _friend_ because that was the way it was supposed to be.

Sabrina shunned him all the way through to that magical day of February fourteenth when love was supposedly in the air. A few things happened that day, some of them more memorable that others. First off, Joel and Kelly and everyone else from my friends back home sent me enough chocolate to kill an elephant; perfect, that meant it was enough to keep me satisfied. Rob got about thirty secret admirer cards all containing poetry, some of it bad, some of it half way decent. Anderson walked into breakfast, declaring cheerfully how much he hated the holiday and that if any of us so much as even thought about saying "Happy Valentine's Day" he would throttle us. Oh yeah, and Danny and Sabrina finally broke Donnelly.

There was a large English test that day, all about grammar, the cursed stuff. I was plugging away on gerund phrases when I heard someone throw down their pencil quite loudly and swipe the papers from their desk so they scatted all over the floor. Donnelly looked up from her corrections with an acid stare.

"Mr. Mc Geough, pick up you papers and finish your test."

Danny simply leaned back in his chair and answered, "No."

"Mr. Mc Geough, pick up you papers and finish your test now before I give you detention."

"No, I can't finish your god damn test because my god damn friend is too god damn pissed at me to help."

"That's it Mc Geough! To the headmaster's-"

"Well, if _someone_ didn't have to make fun of his friends, then _someone_ would have gotten the help to pass _some_ class that he's about to fail." Sabrina interjected coldly, never even looking up from her paper. "If that _someone-_"

"What is it that would want from me?" Danny asked, finally at his wit's end about the whole situation. Sabrina looked up and glared. She opened her mouth to speak but Donnelly cut in.

"Touching that you should be trying to make up now, but there is a test for the class and you two should be down at the headmaster's office-"

"No one asked you, you old crone!" Sabrina snapped at the teacher. Donnelly was flustered for a second before calling Sabrina some very choice names that a teacher should never call her students. Sabrina, aside from the occasional outburst among friends, wasn't exactly the strongest fighter in an argument. Sometimes she would seize up, like now, against Donnelly. But today, today Sabrina was on a team, and this team had a very brazen New Englander on it.

"Don't you call her that!" He said, actually going red in the face. There was a chorus of "Ooooos" all around. The teacher rounded on him.

"Sit down!" she spat, "I cannot have my class running around when they are supposed to be taking a test."

"And teachers shouldn't be calling their students something like that!" Danny was actually clenching his fists as he yelled. Anderson and I exchanged glances and grinned, oh, this was just too good. Sabrina found her voice.

"Sit down you stupid boy!" she screamed at Danny, "I don't need you to fight my battles!"

He looked down at her. "Well you were dong an excellent job there. I can assume you like that title-"

"I most certainly do not!"

"Well, then say something about it, or were you just gong to sit there, trying to wish it all away?"

"Well, uh, maybe I will, maybe I won't, but I don't need you to help me it the point!" Sabrina was going as red as her hair. I saw Annette grinning wolfishly from the back row and mouthing "Sexy." to her friend Gina in the front. I didn't have to even guess who they were discussing. Donnelly was in the background of their argument, shrieking out obscenities and orders for them to go the headmaster's office. Finally, when she began to drown them up, they both rounded on her and told her at the top of their lungs to just shut up already.

And that must have been the final straw. She snapped. She stalked back to her desk, pulling papers and books out and shoving them into her bag. She disappeared into her backroom and emerged with a coat and hat.

"I can't take you hellions anymore! This isn't a school, this chaos; anarchy! I really wonder why this school is so highly regarded!" she reached the door and yanked it open. "I pity the poor wretch you gets stuck with you next!" And with a violent slam of a door, she was gone. Silence descended upon the room swiftly and it settled like a thick blanket of snow. Gone. The teacher we'd despised was _gone_.

It was Geoff who broke out with the first strains of cheering and the rest of the class followed en suite. Danny was looking sort of please and Sabrina looked mortified at what had happened. She was going to collapse at any minute, I was sure. As the rest of the room cheered, she slumped into her seat pale and scared. I was going to help her, but Danny was already taking care of it.

He'd taken her hand and was pulling her up. I couldn't read his lips, but he was saying something softly to her and she was losing her scared appearance. In fact, she was laughing now and sighing with a smile on her lips. Of course, with no teacher around, the rest of the room was falling into real chaos as some of the boys made use of the situation a little too well by tossing around textbooks so that paper was scattered everywhere. I lost sight of Danny and Sabs. Where were they? They weren't at Sabrina's desk anymore.

Then I saw them in them in the corner, where there was a large window looking out over the snow frosted grounds of the Academy. I sucked in my breath in surprise as I saw Danny slip his arm around her waist. She smiled and flushed, taking her glasses off so that her blue eyes assumed a normal size. Danny grinned at this, his smile somewhat more genuine than I'd ever seen it.

And then they kissed.

Right there in the English room, no one but me the wiser to their activities. And I wasn't going to tell soon. Maybe I'd blackmail Sabrina a little later on, but I wouldn't tell any of the others. No way. I'm a good friend like that.

Of course, I was thinking about my friends back home and who could blame me? I knew that Kelly and Tony were spending one last Valentine's together for sure before college started the next year for them and they would be at different schools. And I thought of all my other friends and who they'd been dating back at the holiday break. The only two that had been available were Fran and Joel. Huh, Joel.

I'd written him quite a bit already, wanting to keep my link with them. In a small way, I was regretting my return to Welton. Sure, I had my friends here and I was thankful for the chance to meet them, but what of my old life? Was it entirely fair to have been ripped away from it? No, I decided, it wasn't. Not that I had a say in that either, my dad was the controller there. But my mom had made a point in her argument.

He couldn't just do this to me, no matter how good his intentions were. I was only scraping by as far as grades. The courses here were much harder and the school offered no art majors, classes that I needed to get accepted into my dream school, Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. I shook my head as my thoughts and, I'm sure, my face clouded with that twang of bitterness. I set those ideas aside to revel with the rest of my class in the idea of a new English teacher.

**Danny and Sabrina: **YAY! **Me: **Don't too excited now, this is only small time stuff, bigger stuff comes much later. **Charlie: **Y'know what? Danny sounds an awful lot like a certain lead singer as far as looks. **Me: **No telling now, _Charlotte_. **Anderson: **Oh! Who is it? **Sean: **Yeah, spill them beans girl! **Charlie: **That was so freaky coming from you. **Sean: **Sorry. **Charlie: **Anyhoo, Dru here loves the Goo Goo Dolls, in fact, you know what? She _likes_ alternative music. But, yeah, Danny sounds a whole like the Goo Goo Dolls' lead singer, John Rzeznik. **Danny: **…Is that _true_? **Me: **Um, yeah. And Rob's name…yeah, Rob Thomas? Lead singer of Matchbox 20 who has the most booooooootiful voice. **Joel: **What happened to Good Charlotte? **Me: **((shrugs)) I've like alternative for a lot longer y'know. **Joel: **You haven't answered my question. **Me: **((rolls eyes)) Good Charlotte is the first band I've like that wasn't alternative, ok? Ok!


	20. Return of the Sustitute

**Geoff: **I hate my poem. **Charlie: **Why? It's funny. **Geoff: **Maybe to you, you're not the one who has to read it. **Anderson: **Exactly! **Sean: **Mine's just totally wrong though, so seriously wrong. **Rob: **Well, it's not horny Shakespeare humor! **Me: **Ok, I have to give you all certain personalities. Rob's more of an actor, Shakespeare and the dramatic are his thing as much as he can be proper most of the time. **Rob: **Gee, thanks, this as almost as bad as finding out you're named for Matchbox 20. **Me: **Hey, the real Rob Thomas is smokin', he has the nicest blue eyes and he _used_ to have all this soft brown hair feathered around his face and then he buzzed it all off…((starts to mutter incoherently)) **Danny: **Er, great, but as least he's young and bloody married to a super model. Rzeznik is over forty, ain't he? **Me: **((nods)) But he's still really good looking.

"As a beauty I am not a star,

There are others more handsome by far;

But my face I don't mind it,

For I am behind it,

It's the people in front that I jar."

Geoff recited dryly. "Anthony Euwer." We clapped respectively as he handed one of the new books off to Sean. Poor guys never got enough attention around here, ever. I mean, sure, they were a troublesome two, but you can't always do that and be happy.

It was Valentine's Day night and we'd snuck out for a victory fest, celebrating Donnelly's defeat at the hands of the pretty boy and the nerd. Well, that's how Anderson described it. We mapped how this incredulous event had taken place, we think it started with Rob deciding to denounce her acting skills and take it upon himself to bring Shakespeare to the students of Welton Academy, then was driven with the fact that no one was behaving lately and finally brought home with Danny and Sabrina.

Tomorrow would bring the arrival of The Substitute. The person who would be taking in the hooligans and hellions of Hell-ton. Personally, I hoped this person at least knew what they were doing. In the meantime, we were out here in the middle of the night, enjoying our young lives with a few books and some cake-like brownies snitched from lunch.

"Resume:

Razors pain you;

Rivers are damp;

Acids stain you;

And drugs cause cramp;

Guns aren't lawful;

Nooses give;

Gas smells awful;

You might as well live.

Dorothy Parker." Sean read slowly. I don't think it was so easy for him to read. He was smart enough, oh yes, and he came from a family with money from the Southern area of the country. He spoke with a light Southern accent that could make sense of his tan in the middle of the winter and sun bleached once-upon-a-time black hair that was now brown. He had quick muck brown eyes that were trouble, oh yes, never trust Sean for too long. He looked up from the book and grinned devilishly, drawing a pocket knife from his pants and flicking it open. "Anyone care to see if this right?"

"AH!" we all screamed at once, Danny and Geoff throwing brownies at his smirking face.

"Ok, ok! I give, no suicides!"

"Ugh, don't even joke." Anderson commented from his perch. "It's not something we can joke about here."

Sean slid the knife back into his pocket. "Stiffs."

0-o-0

Everyone in the school waited with bated breath for the junior class' go at the new teacher. After all, we were the class that had broken the previous one. And you know what? This sub was late. Fifteen minutes late to be exact. When he wandered in though, well, I nearly cheered.

O'Ryan, his normal look of calm about him, walked slowly up the aisles of desks whistling absently before getting to the teacher's desk and turning around. "How nice to see you all again."

By now jaws were hitting the floor and eyes widening. I exchanged looks with my fellow Poets; oh yes, this was going to be good. He sat at the desk and looked around the class over his folded fingers. "I hear," O'Ryan began, "That you guys broke Angie."

"_That_," came the sarcastic remark from Geoff, "Was Danny and Sabrina."

O'Ryan looked at the class roster that had been left rather conveniently on the desk. "Daniel Mc Geough and Sabrina Meeks?" he asked. Danny leaned further back into his chair, hands behind his head, saying "Aye?" loudly while Sabrina's head made an audible thunk as it collided with her desk, her skin the color of a ripe tomato. A few laughed lightly as she groaned. O'Ryan smiled widely. "Good job you two."

Sabrina sat straight up. "What?"

"You think you were only ones who didn't approve? Well, that is wrong my friends, so very wrong indeed." The sandy haired sub stood up, thrusting his hands into his pockets and began pacing whilst speaking enigmatically. "I mean, come on, you should at least be having a little fun with the class, no?"

Everyone, _everyone_, agreed with that. O'Ryan took his hands out of the pockets and grinned wider. "Now, my major in college, believe it or not, was acting. Then, (this is besides the fact that my girlfriend that the time chided me for such a faulty career choice) I decided, what better way to put all that performing to use than in teaching where I have to keep every single one if you interested. And we know how young minds can wander, don't we?" he asked Anderson, who was again nearly asleep at his desk from the night before. Anderson hopped to clumsily, jolting his desk with his knees and sending his books flying. Titters of laughter were let out as he tried to collect everything without getting up from his seat.

"I see that your former teacher has said you left off on your Shakespeare unit and there is someone named Rob who apparently is 'a Romeo beyond words'. I advise you to be better with your trash, mate." O'Ryan said cheekily about Rob as the boy sank into his sit, wishing to disappear, to have never done that stupid reciting in the middle of class. We were all sitting straighter and actually enjoying our new teacher. Class slid by as he moved people around and arranged things to his liking. No one was even annoyed when he assigned a monumental reading assignment.

"Thank _God_." Anderson was saying as we left. "Someone who doesn't give you detention for falling asleep."

"You shouldn't be asleep anyway." I teased.

"Well where else are we supposed to get it done?" Sean asked.

"Uh, I don't know, how about your bed?" Sabrina added.

"That's not what a bed's _for_." Geoff quipped, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah- uff! What was that for?" Danny was cut off by Sabrina elbowing him in the gut.

"Perv." I said for her. Danny whacked my head, or tried too, I ducked and dropped behind him to grab hold of his shirt collar. After trying to throttle him, but finding that I couldn't quite grab his tie, but he could get hold of mine, I gave up and slunk odd to the payphone. I didn't even realize I was followed.

I fed the thing quarters, carefully typed in the numbers _1-508-252-6183_ and waited.I knew school was out already, I knew it, so why wasn't he picking up yet? Come on baby! Then I heard the click on the other side.

"I'll get it Ma! Calm down! H'lo?"

"Joel? It's Charlie."

"Charlie? Jesus Christ, what's up?"

"I was gonna ask you that…"

"What did you?" My god, was I as readable as book or something? I laughed over the phone. "Not me, my friends!"

"What? You weren't in on the action!" Joel said in complete disbelief.

"I swear, it wasn't intentional, but they got rid of a teacher!"

"What? You tell me everything now!" I could almost see him over the line laughing hysterically. I told him all about Donnelly leaving right in the middle of class and he lost it completely. Then, what do you know, Kelly popped up because she was giving Joel a ride to his job at the supermarket, so I got to blab with her for a few minutes before they both really had to go before they were late. I hung up the phone with reluctance and that bitter feeling stirring in my stomach again.

"I thought you said he wasn't your boyfriend." I clenched my teeth and ground them before replying, "Is there something wrong with me keeping in touch with them?"

Anderson shrugged, jamming his hands into his pockets. "You never seemed interested before."

"So why can't I be now?" I demanded. Anderson's face tinged only the slightest bit pink. "Most of us haven't gone to public school you know."

"Yeah?"

"So we don't have friends back home, we have friends here."

I rolled my eyes, "I have friends here you idiot."

"Yeah, and you have friends back home."

"What is it with you?" I asked, irritated by him. Anderson shrugged again, turning to head back to his room, gym classes having been cancelled for the day, "We don't have friends back home Charlie, we have family."

I wanted to bang my head against the phone. "Give me break, you have friends at home, I know it, you won't admit it."

"It's just…" he turned around and was chewing his lip with an apologetic look on his face, "We're worried you don't want to be around us."

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. "I'm glad I got to meet you guys, but, you know, my dad sort of sent me here at the drop of a hat…no warning. So, I kind of got ripped away from them and Kelly's gonna be gone next year, college, and, well, I sort of want to be back home, yeah, but I'm having the time of my life here." I finished lamely. Anderson shrugged a third time. "Doesn't matter, forget about it kid."

Did I mention that he can irk the hell out of me sometimes?

0-o-0

"You're tossing again Charlie."

"Yeah, and?"

"_I_ can't sleep."

"Uh, sorry, but I can't help it."

Sabrina rolled over so she was facing me. "What have you been doing?"

"What do you mean?" I said wearily. She yawned and shook her head. "You're talking in your sleep you know."

"I am?" Uh oh, that can't be good. Sabs nodded, "You are."

My stomach twisted unpleasantly, "What's it about?"

"Just random words really."

"Oh."

"Yeah, but you still need to shut up or I'm going to smother you with a pillow."

"Great."

"'Night Charlie."

"'Night."

0-o-0

"Hm…" it was breakfast time, and no one was awake. I was sort of half muttering French words and phrases because of studying for a test into my orange juice. "Je l'ai…j'en ai…il y a une salle à manger sur le rez-de-chaussée…les choses sont dans le grenier…FERME TA BOUCHE!" I finally yelled as Geoff muttered in Latin, making me lose whatever amount of concentration I had. I went back slurring my French, damn language, why must it be so hard? I shook my head…rooms, rooms in French. "La salle de bains…le living…le salon…la chambre…les piéces…il y a sept piéces dans ma maison…j'habite une grande maison individuelle dans la campagne…"

"Charlie, eat." Sabrina sighed. "Please."

"Non, j'ai besion d'etudier pour mon examen!"

"Charlotte, for the love of god, snap out of it and eat your eggs!" she hissed at me, "What has been with you lately?"

"Je ne sais pas."

"Come on, drop the French and eat your breakfast."

"Euh, je vais manger mon petit déjeuner mais je vais parler le français, d'accord?"

She gave in, "D'ac."

Ok, so maybe I was a little messed up lately, but, well, I wasn't feeling so hot. Ok, so maybe I did have that monthly visitor at this time, but come on, we can't blame that all the way. I yawned and shoved some food in mouth, wincing at the taste, ew, it was gross.

I _was_ insanely homesick, but I was keeping it well hidden. No one needed to know that I would skip back home in heartbeat, though Anderson had gotten a little too close to the truth than I would have liked. I was going insane, missing everything that I had had last year. Hell, I even missed the band geeks. I missed hanging out with my friends. Well, I missed hanging out with my friends not in a cave and in the middle of the night praying we weren't caught. But you know what? Even I right then had to admit I was living for the Society meetings.

That night, after successfully flunking my French test, we were heading out again, covered from head to toe in dark clothing and singing tonight. Well, Danny was in his throaty, smoke scratched voice.

"I don't need your war machines, I don't need your ghetto scenes! Colored light can hypnotize, sparkle someone else's eyes. Now woman, I said get awa-a-a-ay, American Woman, mama let me- ugh!" Dan was cut off again as he tripped over some errant thing in the dark and got his pants stuck on it. "Pfft! I have all the luck."

"Luck of the Irish." Sabs laughed softly. He hissed and screeched, "It freaking hurts!"

Then the lights of the building we were passing turned on. Oh yeah, we were rounding the administrative quarters. And it was only one light, but there were also footsteps and someone holding a flashlight. Quite a few of us were speaking obscenities under our breath by then as we tried to free our peer and scurry away. The light hit Danny and he squinted.

O'Ryan was holding the flashlight, a confused expression on his face. Then he seemed to realize that there were seven of us, all out, and almost all of us carrying books with our faces hidden beneath the hoods of our Welton coats. He looked at us with a small smile. "Aren't we busted?"

**Charlie: **Great, she wants to get us in trouble by chapter 20, what the- **Rob: **We're still not done with this whole celebrity issue! **Me: **Fine, I guess everyone wants to know who I used to base you off? **The Society: **YES! **Me: **Ok, we know Danny's looks sort of like John Rzeznik and Rob like Rob Thomas. Charlie was based off Gale Hansen, obviously, for looks, but because she's a girl, her features are softened and some of them different because she's not him. **Charlie: **Thanks…I think. **Me: **Anderson was taken from friend of mine – you know what? I'm just going to get pictures and make an online album for you all to look at, I don't have the time to explain this. **The Society: **((groan)) Come on already! **Joel: **Well, we know she has lots of pictures of my namesake!


	21. Hyperbole

**Charlie: **Well, she finally decides to make some characters complex! **Me: **It was hard considering some of you guys can't be serious for more than two seconds. **Anderson: **I resent that. **Me: **The truth is the truth hun; besides, I seem to remember someone eating a whole bag of sugar on a bet… **Anderson: **Uh…ok…it wasn't me you know… **Me: **Sure, right… **Sabrina: **Anyway… **Me: **Yeah! This chapter is called Hyperbole! **Sean: **You nerd… **Me and Sabrina: **WHAT DID YOU SAY!

_**Hyperbole**- hyperbole is an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis and is not to be taken literally._

A few different things ran through my mind right then. Run. Scream. Say the devil made me do it. Lie that we got lost on our way to the bathroom, the list goes on forever. No one was even moving, aside from Sabrina freeing up Danny's leg. Not the teacher, not us. I glanced nervously around. What a situation to be in.

O'Ryan finally started shifting his flashlight around to get looks at our faces, a bewildered look gracing his own. What connection there was with the books and us sneaking out, he couldn't tell, and we knew he couldn't as his face contorted in thought. I was now fighting the overwhelming urge to run away. I could see Sean, Geoff and Anderson fighting the same battle. O'Ryan motioned for us to follow him into the building. I exchanged looks with my friends, what choice did we have?

The teacher, surprisingly, seemed more entertained by our being outside of the buildings than enraged. As we crowded an extremely small room, he sat a desk, hands folded and expression unreadable. I was glad to be in from the cold at least a little bit as we all stood there looking one another, getting no where. O'Ryan unwove his hands and motioned for us to sit…as if there was any room. I plunked down onto the floor next to Sean.

The man tipped backwards in his chair and looked briefly at the ceiling. "I would very much like to know just what you were doing out there at this hour."

I sucked in my breath and touched the book stashed beneath my coat. I saw Anderson, Rob, Sabrina, Rob and Danny do the same. Sean started to play with the buttons on his coat nervously. Geoff remained Geoff, his eyes somewhere else. I almost snorted with laughter; I knew what he was thinking about. His brother had given him a Dead Kennedys album for Christmas and he hadn't stopped listening to it yet. There are only so many times one can listen to "California Uber Alles" before you go nuts.

"Well?" O'Ryan reminded us that he was still there. "Well? I know very well you would all be in some hot water and a very deep hole if anyone else caught you."

"All Danny's fault." Anderson muttered under his breath. Danny, I think, fought the urge to do his usual and flip Anderson the finger; Dan was forced to settle for shooting the other boy a murderous glare. O'Ryan raised his eyebrows, interested. "Mr. Mc Geough's fault? It would appear to be very hard to make all seven of you sneak out at once."

"He made all the noise." Anderson retorted, looking subordinate. I groaned inwardly; now was not the time to say "f-ck authority"! O'Ryan merely nodded in a agreement, "Yes, it would appear that Mr. Mc Geough did in fact have some difficulties with his pants."

Silence.

"Now," O'Ryan continued, "It would seem that a few of you are carrying something, empty out your coats ladies and gents."

We did so, unwillingly, we didn't want to lose our precious books, but we did and O'Ryan became confused.

"Books of…poetry? When I was in school we were sneaking out smokes and back issues of Play Boy…" his brow furrowed, "Wait…" He picked up Verse to our collective horror and opened it. His face went pale as can be. Not. Good.

"Dead Poets Society! Where did you get this!" he thundered. My peers are so faithful…four out of six pointed right at me. I glared at them before turning to face the raging teacher before me.

"Ms. Dalton! You? Where did _you_ get this!" O'Ryan brandished the book in my face. I crossed my arms in a last try attempt to stay aloof. "Home." I replied simply. It took O'Ryan naught but a second to piece something together.

"_That_ Charlie Dalton? You're related to _that_ Charlie Dalton? I though you were joking!"

"Well," I quipped, "I sort of know him as _Dad_."

O'Ryan shook his head, pacing back to his desk and throwing Verse down to flick through the pages. He pulled papers out and read, then flipped back to the front, running a finger over the signatures that marked the beginning pages. The oldest belonging to the first Society, the signatures of 1959 and the newest of the Society inducted in 1983. My stomach began to churn as the teacher became increasingly fascinated with the book.

"Incredible." He declared at long last, closing the book. "For no particular reason, you all have picked to risk expulsion, fatigue in the mornings and failing classes because you're too busy with _this_ to do the work…you risk all that to go out into the woods and study, of all things, more English."

I looked at my companions, oh yeah, we were so dead. Dead beyond dead. We were going to be expelled. Expelled. No one wants to take that letter home to their parents. I swallowed hard as O'Ryan surveyed our faces again. The clock outside tolled half past twelve. O'Ryan cocked his head to it and piled the books.

"Guess you all better get going." He sighed, handing back our books to the surprise to the collective troublemakers.

"S-s-s-sir-" Anderson began, but O'Ryan cut him off.

"I think I can pardon this on two conditions. One, no more getting caught or I will not be so lenient. Two, not a one of you is allowed to get below a ninety in my class on any given test or quiz. Understand?"

All seven of us had to pick our jaws up off the floor to nod. Oh yeah, we got the message, loud and clear. Like some damn lucky fish, we were off the hook. We ducked back out into the cold February air and disappeared. I paused at the edge of the woods and looked back. O'Ryan was leaning against the doorframe, eyes peering off into the darkness, near where we were. His face cracked into a smile and he shook his head, closing the door behind him, he shut off the lights and went back to whatever he'd been doing.

I sighed and offered a prayer of thanks. Thank god O'Ryan seemed to be someone we could trust. Thank god he let us off so easy.

o-o-o

I rocked back and forth on my heels, waiting up for Anderson outside of Chemistry. He hadn't done so hot on his last test or something, I don't know, all I know is that he asked me to wait for him and I was doing so rather impatiently. I wasn't overtly fond of being around him as of late, he was trying, it seemed, too hard to be my friend. We'd been fine before; sort of the unofficial leaders of our group and friends as best as we could be. I leaned back against the wall. I was having a hard time believing that he was just concerned that I was going to grow disloyal to the Society. In fact, it seemed that he was trying to keep my securely under his watch.

I tugged at my tweedy skirt, wishing I had some pants in this cold weather. My knees socks and this damn skirt weren't quite covering it as February slipped easily into March. The snow was still falling fervently on the ground nearly every other night. Well, ok, we were in Vermont, I suppose that much is expected. The cold was seeping in through the cracks of the school and storing itself in the stone. I shivered and stood straight again, the icy feeling having penetrated my blazer.

I checked my small pocket to make sure I had remembered quarters to call Joel. I missed him like mad and I couldn't wait for the summer when I could run with my friends again. When I could just slide back to my normal routine, no boarding school, no rules, no rigid propriety and no worries. I smile worked its way onto my face as I thought about the summer and seeing my parents again. I hugged my books to my chest and sighed; summer was a long way off.

The door to the Chemistry room opened and Anderson popped his head out, grinning lopsidedly at me before stepping all the way out and running a hand through his brown and blond hair, making it stand up on end. I rolled my eyes at him and he just pulled himself up to his full height to prove just how much taller he was than me. Not to mention how much more in shape he was, what with being on the soccer team and all. I just looked down to the floor, thinking about going home.

I lost track of the fact that Anderson was now waiting for me until he hooked his arm through mine and lead me in a mock gentlemanly way down the hall. Dragging actually sort of fits the situation more. Something in me snapped over his behavior.

"Let me go!" I shouted, yanking away roughly and walking ahead. Anderson's smile slid right off his face and to the floor.

"I'm…sorry Charlie, I didn't mean to – um, embarrass you…I guess." Anderson was struggling for words, a rare moment for the chatter box. I just shook my head and continued on my way. After three seconds I heard the dress shoes clicking to keep up; I turned to tell him to just leave me alone for now, but-

Anderson tripped over his own bloody shoelace. And came down right into my middle, grabbing my tie. We slammed into the cold marble floor with a sickening thud and the scattering of paper and books. I held still for a second as my head throbbed and Anderson opened his eyes to find he was, in fact, alive. But not for long.

"Get. Off. Me." I said curtly. He didn't move immediately, but surveyed his position, taking his god damned time with that too. I tried to sit up, but found that he was just too damn heavy. I took advantage of my situation and kneed him in the crotch. Then he moved quick enough.

"Ooooh god, I'm sorry Charlie! I said I was sorry! I really did…oooh, Jesus f-cking Christ!" Anderson was swearing and walking funny as he collected his books. "What is your damage?"

I shook my head, "What about you Mr. You're Going To Leave Us All To Die? I didn't see any of you take damn responsibility the other night!"

"Is that's what's bugging you? Hey, if you can avoid the heat-"

"Plus you," I gestured wildly with my hands, "And your little theory that I'm gonna ditch you all! You think I'm that shallow!"

"No…" Anderson's face fell again and he looked like a kicked dog as I screamed at him. But I didn't feel bad; he was a big boy, he could handle this. I shoved papers brusquely into folders and muttered to myself until Anderson pulled me to my feet all the way and pinned me up against the wall. I sneered and gave the finger to passerby (a student, you think I'm that stupid?) who was tut tut-ing disapprovingly. Anderson's eyes were on fire, it was crazy. He pushed me harder against the wall, using more and more of his body to do it. I waited until I couldn't anymore and smacked him hard across his face. He pulled away, looking around and straitening his tie.

"Nothing?" he asked in a dead sounding voice. "You got nothing?"

"I got nothing but pissed right now you bastard." I said heatedly. "What, just what is going on in your head? What the hell is your problem!"

"Well, Charlotte, we all have our little issues. You seem to want to go home, well then the hell don't you just go already!" he shot right back at me. I squared my shoulders and walked off, head held high. "Maybe I will."

"F-CK YOU!" Anderson yelled after me, walking off in the opposite direction to Latin, though that meant he would have to walk around the entire school avoid me. I heard a loud crash and turned to see him kicking in the doors as he walked past them as if he was trying to break his foot.

I stormed into French class and slammed into my seat next to Sabrina with scowl. Sabs adjusted her glasses, "What happened?"

I glowered and spat out, "Anderson."

o-o-o

If I had thought that Danny and Sabrina's argument had been impressive, then mine with Anderson was monumental. We wouldn't talk to the other at any of the meetings and our friends had since given up on trying to get us back to normal. Hell, what was normal! I vented to Joel over the payphone.

On the other end he was trying patiently to calm me as I worked myself in a frenzy. He changed the subject gradually, steering my away from my fight. He delved into a tale of art reject antics that soon had me in stitches and more homesick than ever before. I rubbed my eyes and sighed.

"Hey kid, hang in there!" Joel said brightly. "Summer's gonna come, we're gonna have an awesome time…"

"Then I miss my senior year with you guys!" I choked into the phone. I hated my dad right then, hated him for making me come here, hated him for not letting me decide to come here. Joel made soothing little shushes into the phone and wished he was here to hang out with.

"S'ok Charlie…s'ok, calm down…sh…" I could almost see Joel's rounded face contorting with worry as he spoke to me.

"Thanks man, look-"

_Click!_

I looked up. Anderson had disconnected me with a cold look on his face. His hand rested on the phone, holding the tab down so there was no dial tone. I looked at him in total disbelief. He shook his head and turned away from me to walk back to his dorm, making me wonder just what was going on in that boy's head.

**Me: **Can anyone see it yet? The Hyperbole? **The Society: **Uh, no… **Me: **No? What a shame seeing as this will come in pretty dang handy later. **Charlie: **Whatever, all I do is fight with someone I fight a lot with anyway, big whoop. **Anderson: **What's with me in this thing? **Me: **Wait for it, it's gonna take a little time for this to work out.


	22. Confessions Of An Unusual Sort

**The Society: **We're back, to a degree. **Me: **Don't sound so enthusiastic. Sorry about the hiatus, but I'm a busy gal. I have Drama and Marching Band and a class at UMass these days. **Charlie: **Yeah, so she's neglected her fan fiction. **Me: **Shut up, I rewrote a lot of it too! So blah.

"What is it with you and Andy?" Sabrina had just come in from her newly acquired Chess Club membership. She collapsed backwards onto her bed and toyed with the corner of her quilt.

"Andy? Since when do we call Anderson Andy?" I asked.

Sabs shrugged. "Anderson is just a mouthful, so I think we should call him Andy, seems easier."

I rolled over and tried to smother myself with my pillow. "There is nothing going on with us-"

"Right." She interjected sharply. "You've been carrying on all "poor me" for the past few weeks and, quite frankly, I can see his point."

"What, are you all talking to him now behind my back about me?" I asked bitterly into my pillow, getting a mouthful of cotton on the process. Sabrina lost her voice, so Danny barged in from his place at the door where he'd been listening. Rob followed en suite.

"No, but we're all saying that you're getting to be a right pain in the ass, Charlotte." Danny said as he settled comfortably onto Sabs' bed, wrapping his arm around her waist to make room for Rob. I glared at them grouchily and sat up.

"You're ganging up on me."

"How observant." Danny rolled his eyes. "But we're not here to talk about us, we're here to talk about you."

"Me?" I was confused. "What have I done?"

"Charlie, don't act like you haven't been acting like you think you're better than us, ignoring us, wishing you were back home again. You know, we left stuff behind too." Danny reprimanded me firmly, his hazel eyes slits. "Welton's a savior for me, you know. My dad's in the military; Welton saves me from having to move all over every few months and having to start over. If I stay here, I get to keep my friends."

Sabrina chimed in, "I had a scholarship to St. Beatrice's this year until I was finished with the twelfth grade. But my dad wanted me to go here. So, my parents are paying for everything instead of my scholarship. And I already had friends there and I was already used to Beatrice's, but I came to Welton anyways."

"I was going to Hedgewood, a private day school in my town. My parents pulled me and put me here when I was in the ninth grade." Rob threw his lot in. "How else would I have had time to meet Katie?"

"And?"

"And, Charlotte, all we're saying is that you're not the only one who's suffered for the sake of school. We've made do, though, you see? And we don't want to leave Welton…" Danny tightened his hold on Sabrina, she didn't notice though. He smiled and continued. "Take a chance already."

Something struck me. "Where's Anderson?"

Rob sighed guiltily and pointed wordlessly to the door. I raised my eyebrows and reached over from my bed to open it.

Anderson, or should I say Andy now, crashed into my room most ungracefully, landing in a dazed heap at my feet. He covered, however, quickly, laying flat on his back and pulling a piece of licorice from his trouser pocket.

"Y'know," he said in a rather nonchalant tone, "I never pegged you as the pink undies type Charlie. I thought it's be something sexier. Maybe a black thong."

That twisted little bastard was looking up my skirt.

Shrieking with rage, I leapt back to the safety of my bed and pulled the covers of myself. Danny was shaking with laughing, but Anderson had something in store for him to.

"If you're going to do something kinky," he quipped, looking unguardedly at the three on the bed, "You might as well sell tickets or tape it or something."

Rob's jaw hit the floor, Sabrina achieved a marvelous shade of maroon and Danny swore quite colorfully. Anderson grinned cheekily and continued to munch on his candy as they rearranged themselves into a less awkward position. I stared at Anderson, his dark brown eyes flickering with mischief. He lay there so casually, as if there was nothing odd about it.

He looked up at me, finally and winked. "Charlie, I do believe I get to add to these tales of misfortune.

"I'm here because, well, my dad would go crazy if I were at home, but that's besides the point. See, I had this older brother, a great guy in all respects, and a very talented actor. But, see, these acting types like fast cars and all. Last year, he crashed and is now a vegetable in some LA hospital." Anderson's face grew drawn. "I have three older brothers you know."

I felt myself growing cold as Anderson shook himself off and smiled again. He was ok with this? Didn't it pain him to know that his brother was like that? Well…

"Charlie." Anderson had gotten up and was brushing himself off. "Don't pity me, for the love of god, I can't stand it when people pity me. I still have a life to live and I'm deadly thankful I'm not a vegetable like Kevin."

I couldn't speak. But, I don't think I could have said anything that would have been right. Anderson chuckled.

"Why, Charlie, I think this is the first time I've seen you speechless."

I nodded, quite blankly I'm afraid.

The corners of Anderson's lips quirked even more into a smile. "I think I rather like this." And with that, he swaggered out of the room, the picture of confidence.

o-o-o

"You know what?" some random girl who had attached herself to me in second semester French.

"What?" I said, irritated by her constant chatter.

"I think that Neil Anderson like you." She said solemnly. I groaned and would have put her in her place had not the French professor swooped down on me for talking at that exact moment.

o-o-o

"That wasn't funny and you know it." I growled at dinner. Anderson, seated at the next table over, grinned like that cat that got the canary.

"So she actually said it to your face? And you didn't bite her head off? Pity, I was so looking forward to the gore."

I could have killed him, really, and I wouldn't have given a damn. When they were strapping me down for murder, I'd let them know it was completely just. Anderson had convinced that girl from French to say that to me, just to see if she would. That alone was as random as a boy could get.

But what worried me was he really hitting on me (that dreadful possibility I wanted to rule out as soon as possible) or was he just playing?

Since they'd ganged up on me, I'd come to realize that maybe I hadn't being a good a friend to them as they had been to me. So, there were no more calls home to Joel and certainly no more moping over anything I'd lost, Anderson had seen to that.

I stuffed a forkful of mashed potatoes down my throat, and the fork went with them. I hacked violently, clutching at my throat. Anderson, being the gentleman he his, got up from his seat and strode over to mine where he smacked me hard as he could on the back. Oh, and the whole room was watching.

"You there!" Harding addressed the boy in question. "Why are you out of your seat?"

"I'm saving a life sir!" Anderson replied cheekily. "Ms. Dalton was having some trouble with her potatoes."

Harding seemed at a loss for words, seeing as Anderson's excuse was valid…sort of.

"Very…well then. Get back in your seat!" He commanded. "And the next time Ms. Dalton needs assistance, please inform a teacher before rushing to her rescue yourself."

Anderson took his seat and looking smugly at me.

_I hate you_, I mouthed at him as I went back to him.

_You love me_, he mouthed back. He then proceeded to make his hands into fists and do some thrust thing with his hips that ruined an otherwise corny, slightly romantic moment. Horny bastard.

**Charlie:** Oh… **Anderson: **No.


End file.
